


Arborlon University

by theknightkingdom



Category: The Shannara Chronicles (TV)
Genre: AlternateUniverse, AmberleElessedil, Drama, Eretria - Freeform, F/F, F/M, Multi, NewCharacters, Princess - Freeform, School, ShannaraChronicles, University
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2018-08-13 04:07:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 55,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7961815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theknightkingdom/pseuds/theknightkingdom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eretria goes to Aborlon University. Owned by King Eventine, and attended by  Princess Amberle. There, instead of striding through years of classes unexpectantly , she is greeted with drama, schoolwork, lust and feelings she couldn't think she would've felt. Everyone just seems to involve their selves volunteerily into her life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Drama before drama

**Author's Note:**

> In this chapter, you'll be introduced to new characters that were never in the Shannara Series.

Eretria was woken up by some rock music coming from her alarm. Dreary, she struggled to open her eyes. "Wakey, wakey!" Said a girl with long blonde hair standing at the bottom of her bed. She was dressed in a pink dress and had a few plastic curlers in her hair. Eretria untangled herself from her blanket and turned her alarm off. It was 6:30 AM. 

"Ugh, Morgan, please stay on your side of the room. Your cooties are a little too close for me." Eretria swatted her hand in a shoo-ing motion. 

"Hey , it's not like I enjoy being your roommate either." Morgan rolled her eyes. "Besides, I was only hoping you wake up because I have a message for you." 

Eretria sat up and raised her brow. "From?"

"Patience love, gosh! I take my time waiting for you to get up and yet you treat me with such impatience! " 

"Ok, first of all, don't ever roll that word toward me again. Second of all, you are really testing me Morgan."

Morgan rolled her eyes and sat in her desk across the room. It had a bunch of make-up and a huge mirror which she always uses every chance she gets. On the edges of her mirror are pictures of Morgan and her friends. It's not hard to see that Morgan has a lot of friends. Well, a lot more than Eretria. She began taking off the curlers in her hair, leaving results of perfectly loose curls. 

"It was some guy with blonde hair. He said to call him when you get up. He's pretty cute." She twisted in her chair to face Eretria, her arm resting on the back of her seat. Her hair now complete.  
Eretria ignored her glare and got off of her bed and made it. She grabbed some clothes and a towel. 

"Is he your… boyfriend?" Asked Morgan who was still in the same position, legs crossed. She wore white heels that look like they could pay bills for months. Eretria figured that she was wealthy of some sort but she never bothered to ask. 

"No." Answered Eretria, not glancing back at her once.

"You know , it's alright if you're into blondes." Morgan said with a suspicious smirk. Twirling a lock of curled golden hair in her fingers. 

Eretria stopped in her tracks and finally turned towards Morgan. She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head a little. 

"I'm into whoever I'm into barbie. Regardless of anything really." 

"I think you've mispronounced baby as barbie darling." 

"In your dreams." Eretria remarked.  
She continued her routine to the shower across the hall. Eretria and Morgan were never friends to begin with. They were stuck together as roommates in a dormitory. The Dean decided that Morgan was too loud staying with her friends, and since he couldn't put her in her own room because of full occupancy of the dormitories, he decided to put her with Eretria. Whom lived by herself in satisfactory solitaire until recently. 

About five minutes later, Eretria walked back into the room with a towel full of wet hair after a completed shower . She was wearing a black tank top with grey fitted cargos. She sat in front of her own mirror and began combing her hair. Morgan was now applying makeup. 

Eretria thought to herself, whether she liked to admit it or not, Morgan was beautiful. Crystal blue eyes that can sparkle in the dark with small pupils. Super silky skin and her nails were always taken care of. Unlike her's, she never had time to do her nails.  
Eretria took out her cellphone and dialed her friend's number, she then placed it between her shoulders to hold it in place with her ears. It rang two times. 

"Eretria! "

"Hey, Wil. Are you ready?" 

"Am I ever! I came by your room but I almost thought I was lost. I wasn't expecting a beautiful lady to open the door." 

Eretria blinked. "Oh, my roommate." 

Morgan glanced over to Eretria, at the mention of herself and then continued with her makeup. 

"Since when did you get a roommate? " Will asked, surprised. 

"A couple of weeks ago. Surviving by a thread my man." Eretria started braiding her hair close to her skull down the left side of her parted hair. Her hair was pretty long, but this has always been her signature style. 

"Well, if I was in your shoes,.." Will trailed off and whistled. 

"……. Wil. Cut it out before you land a role of my fist connecting to your face. " said Eretria in irritation. 

"Hey hey, ok alright.. Geez, all I'm saying is hook up your best pal and… " 

"Wil!" 

"Hahaha!" Wil laughed getting a kick out of Eretria's anger, although he probably will get kicked literally. 

Suddenly, there was three knocks on the door, but Eretria was still on the phone and doing her hair. 

"That's for me!" Said Morgan with no hesitance. She got up from her makeup station and answered the door. Two of her friends greeted her with hugs. Eretria knew exactly who they were. 

Kate had long and wavy red hair that matched her red lips. Her clear green eyes compliments her outfit which was a red skirt and a black top. Her purse was also red. She had beautiful skin just like Morgan's. 

Crista had long black hair, but her entire inner locks were white and stuck out. Her skin was a little tanner and it makes her look like a beach model. Still light but tan. She also had blue eyes. She wore a black dress. 

The girls entered the room and gathered in front of Morgan's mirror to review her make-up. 

"So, what do you think?" Morgan smirked. 

"I love it! " responded Kate. 

"Where did you get your dress?" Asked Crista admiring Morgan's pink dress. It fitted her so right.

Eretria got distracted by Crista's surprisingly soft and low voice. She had never heard either of them speak, and this was also their first time in the room. But she continued with her hair, almost finished. 

"At Lauren's. Let's go shopping after classes today!" Morgan said with excitement. The girls jumped in agreement . " I know this one place we can get yogurt after." 

"Who are those other voices in the background?" Asked Wil , still on the phone with Eretria. 

"My roommate's friends. No more questions."

"There's more of her? I can't wait to start this first day of classes!" 

Crista looks at Eretria across the room only realizing she was there after she spoke. Morgan followed her gaze through the mirror and got up. 

"Okay! Time to go. Perfect attendance and perfect grades make daddy proud! " She said and grabbed her purse and books. 

"But we'll be 20 minutes early." Said Kate. 

"We'll get some breakfast or something. " Morgan remarked and smirked. She walked towards the door and the girls followed behind her. Before she reached the door, however, while Eretria was distracted, she leaned over and kissed Eretria's right cheek unexpectedly. 

"See you later baby." Smirked Morgan with a very conceited smile. 

"What the hell?" Eretria looked up at Morgan who was already out of the door. She was only met by a few seconds of the eyes of Kate who was now wide eyed and Crista who was confused. As they closed the door behind them, she could hear their mumbling while walking through the halls. 

"Is everything ok?" Asked Wil.

"Yes! I just can't wait to get out of this damn school! " Eretria said choosing to ignore it, knowing it'll only amp up Wil's emotions. 

"First day of class and you act like we've been here for years. Are you almost done?"

"Actually yeah. Let me just get my stuff. I'll meet you outside? "

"On my way." 

As they hung up the phone, she put on her brown leather jacket and hung her bag of books on one shoulder. She grabbed her room key and locked the door behind her, ready for the day ahead.


	2. Criminology

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit longer than the first chapter. :)

It was pretty cold outside of the dorm. Eretria had her hands in her jackets. She could almost see her breath in the air every time she breathed, but there was no sign of snow. The main building wasn't far at all. Wil was standing at the corner of a sidewalk. The school had a huge silver barred gate. The building itself was made of white marble and stone. Of course, it is owned by the king after all. 

"Hey!" Wil greeted Eretria with a hug. 

"Hey, it's pretty cold right now." She said with a shiver.

"Yeah, it is. " Wil responded while rubbing his hands together to produce heat. "We should get inside. So, did you get the class? " he begged while clasping his hands together.

"Damn it Wil, you know it's not my thing yet you still persist. Besides, what's so great about me being in drama class with you? "

"Are you kidding me? It'll be fun! You said you would support me , and my confidence won't falter if you're there." He smiled hoping. 

"This is how you know I'm a good friend. When someone takes a whole course for the sake of another. " 

"Yes!" Wil pumped his fist downward in relief. 

" I'm just glad I'm taking Criminology." 

"Well, aren't you one for the law? You know, being a rover and all." Wil raised his brow.

"Shut up and be happy you elf." Eretria smiled. They were already past the front gate, but they still have a short walk to go. Beyond the gate is a huge courtyard with green grass, rose bushes, birds chirping , and a white walkway with a huge water fountain in which water flows over and over from all angles. Other students were walking around, sitting in the grass or taking in the sight. Despite the cold winds, the sun was rising. It just turned 7:00AM. Wil and Eretria walked side by side with their hands in their pockets. The stopped at the water fountain to soak in the view. 

"Well, it's just how I pictured it. I'm liking it so far. " Wil smiled. "Whenever we need to study we could just come out here." 

"Yeah. It seems peaceful enough. It's just the people in it that bothers me." 

"Don't get your head in such bunkerz, I bet you'll find someone else to talk to besides me soon enough." Wil smiled a genuine smile. He believed in Eretria. That she could burst her bubble and break out of her small circle and learn to trust. Maybe even learn to love. 

"Yeah yeah. Maybe if people weren't always so annoying." Eretria remarked. She wondered what it would be like to make friends. What if there were people like Wil? Maybe people would be more tolerable then. 

They continued walking around the fountain towards the the school. It was 10 stories tall, super wide with huge pillars and stone steps. 

"What's going on over there? " Eretria narrowed her eyes in curiosity towards a spot on the stone steps.  
There was a crowd of huddled people there. Maybe 15-20 people. Maybe more. 

"Oh, didn't you hear?" 

"I hear a lot of things." Eretria rolled her eyes. 

"No, I mean of course but, anyway, the Princess is supposedly attending this year. And that crowd of commotion could possible be her. " 

"Princess? "

"Yes, Princess." 

"King Eventine's granddaughter? The Elven Princess?" Eretria asked surprised.

"Exactly the Princess that I'm talking about. Why are you so surprised? I mean, this IS his kingdom we're in. And this is his school, thus, all of this luxury." He gestured the wholesome of the school. 

Eretria glanced over at the crowd of people. It was hard to see what they were all staring at. They seemed happy and excited. Some were writing in their notebooks and school hasn't even started yet. No. Not writing. They were sketching. Some with color, and some without. Eretria could make out splashes of purple and figures on their paper. Actually one figure. 

Suddenly, she could see her. Within a couple of seconds, it's like time stopped and took a picture so Eretria could remember it for the rest of her life. Just a couple of seconds…. Just a couple. And it's burned into her brain just like that. Maybe it was her gleaming and contagious smile. Maybe it was her light brown and wavy hair that dangled off her delicate shoulders. Or the way she smiled and maybe even laughing with her mouth open, sitting on the stone steps. With a touch of sunlight reaching her green eyes. Or it could be the way she was answering whatever questions the people were throwing at her from all directions, and her determination to answer them all. 

She wore a white outfit. Although it was made out of leather, it represented the royal knights. She had a white cape that attached around her neck and down one shoulder, a silver arm band on her upper bicep, white finger gloves and white boots. Around her white leather outfit, was purple armor covered in purple tribals and swirls. Purple was the color of royalty after all, and white was the color of purity. "Pure Royalty" Eretria thought. 

The Princess was laughing at a comment someone made when Wil called out. He and Eretria were now across the crowd on the stone steps on their way in. 

"Goodmorning Princess!" Wil yelled in a few hopes she will answer. 

The Princess looked around for the voice but only spotted him through a crack of bodies in front of her. She could see the blonde boy standing with one knee bent on the upper steps waving both hands her way like an idiot. Next to him , was a girl with long black hair looking very uninterested waiting for him.

"Come on Wil. You'll never get a chance with her." Eretria grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him. 

The Princess stood up with success of a better view and yelled "Goodmorning!" 

Eretria's eyes went wide but she didn't turn around and still held on to Wil. Wil , however, glanced back with excitement. He could see that the Princess was now smiling towards them but they were already in the building. 

"Did you see that? She smiled at me!" Wil exclaimed with red cheeks. "Wow! What a day! " he sighed as he slumped against the inner wall to keep him from sinking to the ground. 

"Big whoop." Eretria pinched between her eyes in annoyance. "Alright then. I guess I'll see you in class." She quickly threw up her hands and walked away. Wil was too busy reliving that moment a minute ago. He was so flushed and jubilant. 

The inside of the school was just as pretty as the outside. The floors were a beautiful white marble with gray swirls. Just the entrance was huge. Straight ahead, was a staircase with a single wall with a huge map. It showed the regions of classes just in case anybody got lost. In front of it, people were already swarming , studying it as best they can. 

Eretria walked up, but instead of getting stuck in the crowd of people, she noticed a small stand that had stacks of pamphlets. It was smaller versions of the map. She quickly grabbed one. 

Some guy noticed her taking one, and he immediately snatched one. Soon others did the same, and there were less standing at the wall. They must've not realized the portable versions. 

She looked up and there was a huge crystal chandelier. She thought it a little too fancy but didn't care much. At least it was warm inside. She took out her schedule and looked at it. First class was for Criminology at the EastWing. She hurried on over but as she looked up from her pamphlet, a guy with black hair bumped into her. 

He wore a black vest and tight shirt. His hair was a little curly if not ruffled and reached his eyes. 

"Sorry there miss." He said eyeing Eretria up and down. 

Eretria glared at him. "Is there something you need that you're looking for?"

"Whoa there. You're a fiesty one." The guy smirked. 

"Bandon, let's get moving before I abandon you." Said a girl walking past her and Bandon. She had blonde hair tied up in a bun and wore a green dress. Her ears were pointy. An elf. 

"You won't abandon me Catania. " He turned and started walking with Catania toward the NorthWest Wing with a smirk on his face. He looked back and winked at Eretria. Eretria rolled her eyes and continued walking towards the East Wing. 

7:30AM

Eretria walked into room 506. It took a while because the class was on the fifth floor. She didn't think it would be this big. No wonder the students were in panic mode earlier. But when she finally found it, she was so relieved and distracted that when she sat down in an available seat, she didn't see who she sat down next to. 

"Goodmorning." Said the Princess not looking directly at Eretria with her chin up, legs crossed and hands clasped neatly on the table. 

The class was filled with long black tables with chairs. Each table fit two people and was lined up like a theater with the back of the class rising to see the huge projector in front of the room.

"Damn it." Eretria thought to herself. "How could I have not seen the Princess?" 

The Princess eyed Eretria waiting for a response but looked back to the front of the classroom when she didn't get any. Professor Jean Reiner walks in with a clipboard and some papers. He wore a light blue button up shirt tucked into his expensive slacks. He looked to be in his 30's. He looked more like a gym teacher really. He had short and combed black hair. With a light beard running down his jaw and light brown eyes. 

"Goodmorning everybody." He said with a smile. The items were now on his desk on the side of the projector. That projector screen made him look so tiny. 

"Welcome to the first day of class. I am professor Reiner and I will be doing my best to excel you on the basis of Criminology."

Some students sat up straight. Some slumped in their chairs drinking some coffee. There had to be 40 plus students. As for Eretria, she leaned on her table resting her chin on her hand while the Princess, however, seems to be focusing. 

"Oh yes, before we get started…" Prof. Reiner held up a finger. "The person that you're sitting next to right now will be your partner until you leave the semester. " He then turned to Eretria and the Princess. "You miss, are pretty lucky. Because your majesty here is not only a student , she's actually my co- teacher. " He said smiling to Eretria receiving the exact face he expected from her. 

Eretria's eyes widened in panic. She sat up on reflex.  
How could she be partnered with royalty? And she's a teacher too? This will cause so much commotion and unwanted attention. And Wil! What will he say? 

She turned to the Princess who glanced at her and smiled. Eretria turned away and placed her face in her bag to hide her emotions. 

An hour later, after discussions and introductions, the bell rang. 

"Alright, have a great first day, class is dismissed." Said Prof. Reiner. 

Eretria stood up placing her notes and books in her bag. 

"Hey." Said the Princess suddenly. She stood up but she only carried a purple leather journal.

Eretria looked at her but continued to collect her things. "Hey."

"I'm Amberle. Looks like we'll be stuck together for a while. " She smiled and extended her hand. 

Eretria looked at her white gloved hand. Besides from the leather parts, you could still all of her fingers. They looked so white and silky. Eretria shook it. 

"Eretria." She looked at Amberle for a couple of seconds then turned away. 

"Would it kill you to smile sometime? I won't bite. " said Amberle who was still smiling. 

"It's hard to smile Princess. When there's horrible things happening right now and people suffering from unnecessary temperament. It's been a detriment to my mentality. So excuse me if I can't smile. " Eretria faced the Princess with a cringed face waiting expectantly for her response. She then realized her sudden outburst was just a fragment of her past and it came out unwillingly. 

Amberle's smile was now gone. " Well, I understand what goes on in the world. But that is why I am here. To learn and teach everything I can, " she now stood with her chin up. " Although you know what's wrong with the world, I, myself, being of the Elessedil bloodline, feel the weight being thrown on my shoulders. So if you'll excuse me…" 

She then walked past Eretria with a look on her face that Eretria can't place. Determination? Sorrow? Anger? Wait,.. Was that tears? Eretria suddenly felt really guilty.


	3. The Lost Sky Traveller

As Eretria walked out of the classroom, she scouted for Amberle but was swormed by a crowd of students. She looked left and right but it was useless. It seems Amberle has some quick feet. 

Since there's no hope of spotting her, Eretria decided to move on to her next class before she's late. It was Swimming/Gym which was in the NorthWest Wing. She groaned at the thought of walking all the way across for the whole semester.  
On her way over, she imagined what she could possibly do at swimming class. She thought of would be pretty fun since she was the active body type. Then she started thinking of what class Amberle has. 

She quickly shook the thought away. She started questioning about why she was thinking about her all of a sudden. That beautiful smile popping up in her head all the time. It was so poppy, she thought Poppy would be a cute name for her and it would fit her right.  
She finally made it to gym which was of course, on the first floor. The entrance was two huge purple double doors. There was a couple of people going in and out. As she entered, the first thing she noticed was the purple and gray floors set as a basketball court. Her class was already on the silver bleachers across. She walked up, sat on the second row, placed her elbow on her knee and her chin in her palm, relaxed. Suddenly, a someone sat next to her. Not so close but a little too close for Eretria.  
Eretria spotted some white hair from the corner of her eye. The girl finally spoke. 

"Hi. You're Morgan's girlfriend right?" The girl said looking straight ahead with a blank stare. 

Eretria choked, both at recognizing the super soft and mellifluous voice and the fact that she recognized Eretria as Morgan's girlfriend. 

"Uhh ok, I'm nobody's girlfriend. And especially not Morgan's." Eretria turned to face her, putting her palm down from her chin. She inevitably wandered up to the other girl's eyes. Crystal blue, maybe even brighter than Morgan's. Maybe that's how she got her name. Crista. 

"Calm down. It's not like she said so herself. " She started tucking her hair away from her face and sighed, turning to Eretria. "I saw that kiss this morning and just assumed." 

"Assumption is incorrect." Eretria instantly regretted staring into her eyes. "What are you even doing here?"

Crista raised her brow. "You mean besides learning?"

"I mean gym. This doesn't seem like your type of class. " 

Crista rolled her eyes. "What makes you think that?" She kept her eyes locked on Eretria waiting for her response. 

"Honestly? You just look like you'd prefer Cosmetology is all I'm saying. No offense doll." Eretria leaned back and leaned against the upper bleachers with her arms crossed. She looked ahead wondering where the coach is.

"Well, can't a girl take both? " 

"I don't know. Wouldn't you not want to ruin your makeup? "

"Your remarks don't offend me just so you know. And only cheap products come off ever so easily." She looked ahead breaking her gaze off Eretria. 

The coach finally walked into the gym. He was buff, tall and had piercing blue eyes. Eretria sat up immediately recognizing him. Another royal? 

"Good afternoon everybody. I am Prince Ander. And I will be your coach. " He stood tall with his hands clasped behind his back. "In this class, you will practice the basics of exercise, discipline or any kind of movements. It is my job train you as warriors of the kingdom." His eyes were scanning the class, studying faces. "Although it doesn't necessarily mean you are joining the ranks, it'll at least give you some insight should you join in the future. If you didn't sign up for this, or this isn't in your interest, let me know." His eyes then landed on Crista. "Good to have you in my class Crista. " He smiled a small nod. He then turned back to the crowd. "For example. My long lost niece here is by far the fastest runner I've seen. Four time gold medalist and heck, I'm the one who trained her." 

Eretria just keeps getting surprises and this isn't even the start. If Crista is royalty, then that means she's an elf. Wait, Morgan hangs out with royalty? That's a slap in the face. And she's not just any royalty, she's what they call the Lost Sky Traveller. They all know the story of the long lost royalty. 

21 years ago, Eretria was 1 year old at the time. King Eventine had three kids. That's what everyone thought. He supposedly had another kid. A daughter named Arandis. She was older than her brothers. They loved her with all their heart. She obeyed everything, she was super smart that she graduated at 12, and caught the eyes of many courtiers. But she was defiant one day in an event that the king tried to marry her off for an alliance with another kingdom at such an early age. 

She fell in love with Prince Kyro from the Southern Kingdom of Trio. A winged one capable of magic. They were called the Sky Travellers. They were easily recognized because of their white hair and silver wings. Their coat of arms included a shield with three insignias. A pair of wings, a swirling symbol representing magic, and a dove. Their kingdom was often viewed as the cleric and agile of kingdoms since magic was almost perfected there and often used to heal the wounded. 

But the king wanted her to marry Prince Levron from the Western Kingdom of Valoid. A kingdom of firepower and calvary. Arandis was not happy, so in rebellion, she ran off and had a baby with Prince Kyro. Prince Levron, in jealous pursuit and anger, partly because he wanted Arandis for himself, partly because of the future the Kingdom of Arborlon and Valoid could've had together, and partly because he was conceited and embarrassedly rejected. Since the kingdom of Trio was pretty small, Levron ordered a stealthy attack. He pretended to call a truce with the Sky Travellers and they had a conjoined party in which Levron had his people poison their drinks and wiped out half of their people. A lot others that didn't drink were drugged from the food they ate. 

Arandis was with Kyro the whole time and once they realized what was happening, he grabbed Arandis and the baby and ran into a small alley. Levron was now setting fire to the trees and the buildings, and Kyro was not about to fly away and leave his family. 

Apparently, in an attempt to save the baby, he casted a spell that coated her hair to black, and made her golden eyes blue. That was another Sky Traveller trait. Rich, golden eyes that were impossible to achieve unless you are of their bloodline. 

As he disguised her, he kissed Arandis one last time. That night he flew the baby up North to the Kingdom of Arborlon and with no time, placed her in a basket on the front of the orphanage. He flew back trying to find Arandis, but it was too late. What twisted soul would do such a thing? Kyro yelled from the top of his lungs, cradling the head of his Elven Princess in his arms, blood everywhere. 

His scream caught the attention of Levron, who turned around with his sword still bloody. Kyro, being too grief stricken and crying didn't care anymore. It was said that Prince Levron keeps Prince Kyro's Wings on a wall to remind other kingdoms what he is capable of.

That night, the Kingdom of Trio was no more. And the last of the Sky Traveller bloodline was gone. That's what they thought. Because Valoid was now true enemies with Arborlon for killing their Princess, King Eventine swore they would get their revenge and relieve their world of the awful Prince who was now the King of Valoid. King Eventine has kept close watch after all these years with spies, resulting in them discovering King Levron yelling about finding Arandis' and Kryro's baby and that until then, the Sky Travellers is not truly vanquished.

King Eventine felt a great need to find the baby before he does. Calling for searches of babies with white hair, a pair of wings, or even remotely light brown eyes that could be golden. After years, the orphanage came forth with a 17 year old whose hair started turning white. Some old arcana historians mentioned a spell that could've been used on her, and the more her hair turned white, the more they believed she was the Lost Sky Traveller. But since the orphanage didn't have a name for her, they named her after her crystal blue eyes. Crista. 

To think she's the last of her bloodline. Half Elf and half Sky Traveller. Since she was a Princess of her own and her people gone, she was the Queen of the lost Kingdom of Trio. 

Eretria sat up and stared at her white hair. She always thought that they would keep her locked in the midst of the palace for safety. And that her hair was professionally done. It all makes sense right now. 

"You're making it obvious that you're staring you know." Crista whispered. Pretending to listen to Prince Ander staring straight ahead. 

"You never told me you were her.."

"You didn't ask." Crista turned to Eretria with a blank face and turned her attention back. 

Eretria started reliving the story of the Lost Sky Traveller and wondered what it was like for Crista. To learn of your family's history. Just gone like that, no trace of anybody. What was left of them? 

Memories, stories.… and her.


	4. Past and Present

Prince Ander lined the class up and started giving them a tour of the gym area. From the bleachers they were sitting on, across is the huge purple double door entrance that Eretria entered through, and to the right side of the bleachers on the same wall is the girl's locker room, and the left side is vice-versa the boy's locker room. 

He walked them through the girl's locker room. It was huge and had walls of lockers. 

"Ok so the boy's locker room looks exactly like this. So we only need to be walking through this once." Said Prince Ander. 

"Okay so why did you choose the girl's locker room to tour?" Asked a student and the class laughed. Ander laughed with them for a little. 

"You see that door over there?" He continued, pointing to a smaller purple door. "That is the entrance to active fields . The boy's LR has the same entrance too." 

He entered it and the students followed through. Outside was even more huge. Straight ahead is a walkway to a building far across. To the left is a purple track field. You could see students stretching like they want to test run on the first day. Eretria noticed Crista looking very interested. Her legs itching to run.   
To the right is another field. Two men, wearing white pants, with fitted matching long sleeves and silver helmets that covered their face stand across each other with swords at their side. Their students watch as they engage in combat. 

"If you can see the combat field on the right, that is where they practice blades and hand-to-hand combat. But you can only take that class if you complete a semester of basic movements and exercise. " Prince Ander continued. "That silver and white buckle they're wearing on their belts is the symbol of the Royal Knights." The buckle was attached to a white belt. It had a silver tree on it.

While they continued walking towards the building across, Eretria spotted some white and purple movements from the corner of her eye. There she was again. Princess Amberle. She was standing with her chin up and her hands behind her back watching the two men in combat. It doesn't seem she noticed Eretria. Two men were standing next to her when one of them put his arm around her. The Princess then looked up at him and smiled. Eretria suddenly felt a strange feeling occurring inside of her. Is this jealousy? She tried to focus on Prince Ander to keep it off of her mind. 

The class finally reached the other building. Inside, the pool was 25 yards long and is about 10 to 18 ft deep. It's about the size of an olympic pool! There are 10 lanes with a line of buoys in between each of them. There was also a diving board placed high above one end.   
"This is where we will be doing our swimming lessons. The buoys are removeable if you want to practice your diving assets. Any questions?"   
The class was looking around the pool, some even looking like they want to jump in. Prince Ander continued on the tour for the next 30 minutes. 

Soon class has ended and Eretria was on her way to find Wil for lunch time. She spotted Morgan heading her way. As a matter of fact, she looked like she was headed straight towards her. Eretria tried to evade her by walking a little to the left when she felt a hand placed on her upper forearm. 

"What's wrong?" Asked Morgan with a conceited smirk. "Trying to avoid me?"

Eretria removed Morgan's hand. "If you knew that, then why ask me?" 

As Eretria started to walk again, Morgan spoke. "Just so you know,…" Eretria turned to look at her, Morgan pulled the side of her blonde hair behind her ears. Elf ears. Eretria didn't know what to think, but she has never thought about Morgan being a human or an elf until now. 

"I have your uh… friend, the blonde one? in my art class. " Morgan continued.

"Alright, and?" Eretria asked, questioning the point of this conversation. 

"Well…" She started walking towards Eretria slowly, twirling a finger in her hair. "That handsome face seems to turn red every time I meet him eye to eye." She was now too close for Eretria's comfort.   
"I seem to make him happy… so I took the liberty of chatting with him and next thing you know, we're partners!" She smiled. But not a happy smile. A smile with an ulterior motive. 

"Am I interrupting anything?" A soft voice can from behind Morgan. Crista. 

"Morgan, you were supposed to meet me in the cafe." She looked at Morgan, whose eyes were still on Eretria. 

"Yes, please. Do go your own way." Said Eretria and walked way. 

Five minutes later she's leaning against the entrance wall. Arms folded with one foot lifted behind her. She looked out to the courtyard. People were already eating , some on the grass and some on the huge fountain. The sun was shining against the white marble all around. She wondered what the heck was taking Wil so long. 

"Eretria! " She heard her name come from a familiar voice. 

"What took you so long?" Eretria narrowed her eyes at the blue eyed boy. 

"I'm sorry, there's such a great art gallery in the the SouthWest Wing you've gotta come see it sometime! " Wil smiled big and Eretria forgot about her troubled day in an instant. 

"Sure short tips. I'll check it out with you later, if you stop checking out my roommate. " Eretria smirked when she saw him turn red. 

"But, ... How … have you been stalking me rover?" He chuckled. 

"You wish! You know I'm fine with you checking out whoever you want. But did it really have to be Morgan?" Eretria asked, thinking about the blonde girly girl. 

"I'm sorry, I can't help it! It's inevitable who you have a crush on. And you like who you like right ? " He winked at Eretria knowing she's bisexual. 

"Oh really now?" Eretria smiled and punched his arm playfully. 

They started walking towards the dining hall in the North Wing. It was full of different food shops lined up on both sides of the walls. 

"This is a dream come true!" Wil said cheerfully.

"Ramen, pizza, steak and lobster?" Eretria looked around undecided where to stop by. "Damn this place has got everything." She said eyeing the steak. 

"Yeah, the best part? We don't even have to pay for this stuff! Coming to this school is the best decision we could've made our entire life. " Wil said rubbing his hands together while walking towards the lobster area. 

"Well it may be the best decision for you, but for me you know that's not true. My best decision came the day Cephalo was put behind bars for good. " She said staring at the lobsters in front of them. 

What is it about lobsters that people like? How expensive it is? Or maybe the aphrodisiac? Either way, it was making Wil's mouth water and Eretria more hungry than she already was. 

"That my friend is so true! " Said Wil turning his attention towards Eretria. "I couldn't agree with you more! But before we talk any further, let's eat first!" 

"Now that's when I couldn't agree with you more!" Eretria responded with a laugh. 

They grabbed a tray of lobster and shared it with separate plates of their own since it was so big. During their lunch, they talked about how life has been since Cephalo has been in jail. Eretria was glad that Wil is her best friend. He was there through it all with her. He had been her shoulder to cry on, and helped her cope with the abuse of her adoptive dad.

The abuse has been going on for years until one night Wil came over to pick her up to go out, but instead found her on the floor with her face bleeding and bruised . Cephalo was standing over her and ordered Wil to get out, but he did the exact opposite. They had a small quarrel and as soon as Cephalo was knocked out, Wil picked up Eretria and took her straight to the hospital where she discovered she had several broken ribs and her neck was severely damaged from asphyxia.  
When Eretria refused to tell them what happened after they questioned her, in fear that Cephalo will do worse to her if she rats him out, they launched an investigation. When cops went to the scene that night, they got all the evidence they need. Cephalo was sitting in his chair drinking a bottle of scotch, with blood all over his hands. From there on, they did some DNA testing and discovered it was indeed Eretria's. It wasn't hard to put all the pieces together.   
After that, Eretria stayed with Wil for a while. Then they both decided to have a fresh start and further their education. Eretria doesn't even know how long Cephalo is placed behind bars for but she doesn't care because she won't be there when he gets out. 

"Hey are you ok?" Wil asked smiling at Eretria, while holding a red piece of lobster shell. 

"I'm fine. Thank you Wil. " 

Wil then grabbed one of Eretria's hands. "I'm always here when you need me to be." 

"I know. " Eretria smiled while in deep thought. 

He then let go of her hand and they finished up eating. As they put their trays away, Eretria thought it would be a good idea to go to the bathroom real quick to brush her teeth. She didn't like her breath smelling like lobster. Wil agreed and they went their separate ways. 

After lunch ended, the last class was waiting to begin. Drama class was in the West Wing. It was on the 9th floor in room 916 so she had to take one of the elevators once more regarding her Criminology class on the upper floors too. The inside of the elevator was silver and had gold spirals everywhere. It was pretty small but could fit at least 10 bodies. As she walked in, she was glad she was alone with no awkwardness. 

However, that feeling died down when the elevator reached the 4th floor.   
It was soon replaced with her heart beating out of her chest when Princess Amberle was standing in front of the elevator. For a brief second they looked at each other with awkwardness. Eretria moved to the side to give the Royal some space. 

"Hello again." Amberle said walking in and not looking at her. 

"Hey." Replied Eretria, staring at the walls. "Aren't you going to press for your floor?" She asked hinting at the elevator buttons. 

"It seems the 9th floor button is already lit." Amberle gestured with her eyes toward the glowing button. 

"Oh, so I guess we're both on the same floor?" Eretria asked quietly. 

"I suppose so." Responded Amberle, with her hands on her sides and standing straight. She seemed pretty tense. 

"Look, I'm sorry about this morning…" said Eretria. 

"There's no need for apologies. You simply spoke how you felt. That is all." 

"No, not really. I mean,.. Yeah but…" Eretria stumbled for words, not sure why she's having trouble speaking. There's something about the presence of Amberle that makes her feel some type of way. 

"Okay look." She continued, finally facing Amberle.   
"I… don't get along well or at all with people. I have maybe one or two friends. And I have trouble processing the reason you are being so nice to me."

"Why is that?" Asked Amberle. 

"I don't really know. Maybe it's because you're the Royal Princess and you're so smart and really beautiful…" Eretria trailed off and face-palmed herself immediately after blurting out that last sentence. She has never told anybody else that and doesn't know why she did now. Out of all times. When she put her palm down from her face , she found Amberle's curious green eyes locking with hers. Eretria immediately blushed.  
At that moment, the elevator stopped on the 6th floor. And in came four or five people. Eretria couldn't count because they started crowding. She moved toward the back corner and Amberle was still next to her. 

"Omg it's the Princess! You are so beautiful! "   
Said one of the guys. Eretria rolled her eyes knowing that although it may have been the first time she's ever said that to someone, it's clearly not the first time Amberle has heard it.   
Amberle smiled and started conversing with them while Eretria stared blankly at the wall beside her noticing what such small space she has left   
.   
The elevator stopped at the 8th floor again. Three more people came in and Eretria was frustrated because people are willing to crowd an elevator just to be in it with Amberle.   
One of the guys supposedly touched the Princess' arm by accident and started doing it repetitively until it became clear that he was doing it on purpose. He then started holding onto her upper arm. Eretria watched as Amberle stood uncomfortably but confidently. Then another guy in front of her started getting a little closer. Eretria started to feel disgusted. 

"Hey!" Eretria projected her voice to the guys. "Are you guys stupid or something? Your heads will be on pikes if you continue your arrogance." She said stepping in front of Amberle. 

"Uhh who are you?" A tall guy asked. His eyes has 'huge ego' written all over it. 

"I am nobody to you. But she is your Princess. Don't forget." Eretria said staring into the eyes of the. "Your petty fingertips are not worthy of her royalty." 

Everybody in the elevator was tense, including Amberle who was cautiously watching. As the elevator reached the 9th floor and the students scrambled to get out, the tall guy that was having a stare down with Eretria shoved her with his shoulder on the way out. It wasn't too hard of a shove, but it was enough to push her towards Amberle. Their arms and hand brushed against each other. Even if it was for a brief couple of seconds, Eretria felt a spark of heat shoot up her arm. Her face then turned red. 

"Thank you for whatever that was." Said Amberle as they walked out of the elevator. 

"Those guys were sexist. They would never invade a prince like that, so why would they treat a Princess differently?" 

"You have a point. But please, in the future, do not put yourself in trouble for me. I will otherwise be held responsible for you if you get hurt." 

Eretria chuckled. "More like you'll be held responsible for the damages I've done. " 

"You talk a big game." Amberle raised her brow. 

"Yeah I do. It's a habit. That's not always a good thing." Eretria admitted. She looked down for a moment. 

The hall they were in was white and bright. To the right, instead of a wall was windows from the ceiling all the way to the ground where sunlight leaks in. You could see the fields and the whole courtyard from here. 

"I see, well I guess I'll see you then?" Amberle asked in high hopes.

"Yeah. I mean we are partners Princess. See you later."

Amberle smiled and Eretria felt a little smile creep up on the corners of her mouth. Nobody else has ever been able to make her smile but Wil. She noticed they were still walking side by side even after they said their farewells. Amberle noticed them walking together too. Soon they started walking a tad faster together. 

"Are you following me? " Laughed Amberle. 

Eretria couldn't help but laugh too. "You wish Princess." 

They both reached room 916. 

"Let me guess, you have Drama? " asked Eretria. 

"As a matter of fact I do." Smiled Amberle. They both entered the classroom. "It seems we'll be spending most of our time together." 

The room was similar to the Criminology room, but instead had a center stage with maroon curtains. Amberle walked over across the room as the teacher called out for her. Eretria immediately found two pairs of familiar eyes looking at her. One pair were those of her best friend, and the others were those of someone she dislikes very much. Just as this class was starting to sound fun, her feelings changed when she saw Morgan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pleas let me know if I have any spelling errors and I will correct it. Thank you! :)


	5. The Fallcress Tattoo

"Hey! Finally our first class together! This'll be fun!" Wil greeted Eretria. "Morgan's here too." He whispered with a blush. His cheeks reddened and he looked around to see if she heard him.

Morgan was across the room sitting with a friend talking while glancing at Eretria. Wil noticed the bad exchange of looks between the two and suddenly there was a tense atmosphere.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that. Didn't mean to get excited." Wil remembered. 

"It's alright. Just try to remember, she isn't exactly my friend right now. " Reminded Eretria. She sat in a seat in the second row and Wil sat next to her. There were about 23 people in class. 

"Anyways, you wouldn't believe what some jerks did in the elevator a couple of minutes ago." Eretria continued. "These punks had the audacity to touch the Princess." 

"Touch the Princess?"

"Yeah. Like, touching touching. Their fingertips were crawling all over her like spiders." Wil could feel her steam around him.

"Really now? And this concerns you?" 

"Of course it does! Wouldn't it you? "

"Well yeah! But I've never seen you get so worked up before." 

"If you were there you would probably be pissed off too. These guys had egotistical peanuts for brains. " 

"And what did you do about it?" He raised a brow. 

Eretria started drifting off , not looking into Wil's eyes. 

"Nothing that you wouldn't have done." She finally spoke. 

"Can I ask you something?" Wil leaned forward, and glanced at Amberle who was still conversating with the teacher. "Do you,..like her?"

Eretria blushed at the thought. "…..what?" Her face started turning red and she too glanced over at Amberle to see if she could hear them. "I don't feel that way towards her…"

"Eretria." He said quietly. "It's evident on your face."

"What are you talking about?" Eretria shifted in her seat. "It's just hot in here. That's all. Now drop it." She glared at him. 

"I don't know, but last I checked, we were both freezing." Wil shrugged. He leaned back into his seat and studied Eretria carefully. "And this is the closest I've seen you even remotely show any regard for someone else besides me." He smiled, stretching his arms across the seats next to him.

"We're Criminology partners and now we have Drama class together. I think it's pretty much inevitable." Eretria narrowed her eyes at Wil. 

Suddenly, Amberle sat on a seat at the front row in front of the teacher. A couple of students raced to sit next to her, but only two got to sit next to her. She looked back at Eretria for couple of seconds. 

Eretria found herself looking into those amazing green eyes and didn't realize she had been staring until Amberle smiled. Wil noticed and started smiling like an idiot. Eretria's face has yet again turned red and she looked the other way to break her stare. Amberle dropped her smile slowly and resumed her attention to the teacher who was now standing in front of the room. 

"Good day class." Greeted the teacher. He wore a black vest and slacks. He was brown skinned and muscular. His hair was short with a thin fade, but had scars on the sides of his head representing some kind of symbols. 

The class grumbled in response, just waiting to go home. 

"My name is Ser Allanon. You may call me Allanon." He walked down the row with his arms crossed. 

"If you would please take your chairs and form a circle on the center stage here." He gestured to the huge stage he was standing on.

The class started getting up. Placing their bags in empty seats next to them and taking the ones they were sitting on. Eretria and Wil looked at each other before doing the same. Soon a huge circle was formed on the stage with red velvet chairs and students with mixed expressions sitting on them. Amberle sat across Eretria on the other side with her legs and arms crossed, but she was looking to the side, watching other people. 

Wil sat next to Eretria of course, but Morgan sat next to Wil, smirking at Eretria. Eretria shook her head and rolled her eyes while Wil was starting to get nervous. The rest of the class finished settling within a couple of minutes. 

"Are we all set?" Asked Allanon rubbing his hands together. He stood in the center of the circle and all eyes were now on him. "Alright. You are each going to stand up, and we, the class, will throw some questions at you to get some insight on your personalities." Some of the students sat up straight and some looked nervous. 

"Alright then, here we go." He pointed to a guy with long brown curly hair. 

The boy looked at him and stood up right away. As Allanon encourages the rest to ask questions one by one, they learned that was his natural hair, he wanted to become an archer knight, and that he was hydrophobic. That must be scary to be scared of water. 

As the class went through several people, it was Morgan's turn. 

"What's your name?" A guy from the side asked. 

"My name is Morgan Elessedil " She winked at the guy. Eretria glanced at Wil who twitched with a tad jealousy. But she too had twitched. Elessedil? Just,…what? Is she related to Amberle? 

"I am the Princess' adopted cousin." She looked at Amberle and Amberle nodded at her. 

Another guy started to ask another question but she continued. "But… really,... I am not an Elessedil, my true name is Fallcress." The class looked at each other in confusion. Some gasps can be heard.

"Fallcress?" Allanon interrupted. "Are you aware of that name?" He asked warily while folding his arms. 

"Of course." She smiled. "I am very aware that my name belongs to the Kingdom of Valoid. Not many know my true name, yet they say it's an ancient name in the books, some even say I am unworthy." She raised her brow to Allanon inquiring if he would say the same. 

"Yes it is indeed. The Fallcress family had the power to control water and, or fire. But the last king to inherit one of those powers was King Levron's grandfather." He rubbed his chin in high thoughts. 

"Well ser, I can tell you confidently that I haven't inherited such magical gifts either. Unfortunately. Next question?" 

"How are you a Fallcress and live in the Kingdom of Arborlon? " asked another student. 

Morgan looked at the person who asked such an invading question then looked at Allanon who encouraged her to answer. 

"It is not my choice to be a Fallcress you know." She stalled, looking down at her heels. This is the first time Eretria has seen her act like this.  
"All I remember is being raised here… my elders told me I was found in the center woods sometime after the battle of Trio. I really don't have any memory of who I really am."  
She started twiddling her fingers still looking down.  
Eretria started feeling sorry for her roommate for she had no idea. 

"The only thing that tells me I'm a Fallcress is this tattoo." She lifted her hair and bared the back of her neck.  
On it was a red tattoo of a flame with the cursive name Fallcress underneath it. Allanon's eyes widened. He looked at Amberle who had the same look on her face, now on the edge of her seat. 

"I was always told not to show it because it would cause a commotion." She dropped her hair and turned back around. "Nevertheless, this is my home. If the Kingdom of Valoid discarded me simply because they did not want me then so be it." 

Allanon and Amberle were still giving each other looks. 

"Alright everyone, please take your chairs back to their positions." Allanon said hastily. 

"Excuse me ser?" Wil raised his hands. "A lot of us didn't get the chance to stand yet." 

"I know, but I hadn't realized the time, and I have a few things to discuss with the Princess before we leave. " Allanon looked at the Princess who nodded at him. 

With that, Wil walked over to Eretria who now had time to kill. 

"What do you think happened?" Eretria asked Wil, looking over at Allanon and Amberle at the corner of his desk whispering to each other.  
Wil sat down next to Eretria and rubbed his eyes. 

"Honestly? They're acting pretty strange if you ask me." Said Wil who looked tired. 

"Everything was fine until she showed her tattoo. I mean, I've seen it before but I thought she got that willingly." Eretria said curiously.

"Well it seems she was found with it."

"Who gives a baby a tattoo?" Eretria imagined a baby getting a tattoo and immediately shook the thought away. "Well, I'll have to give her some credit with saving face. I thought she was just a spoiled brat. I didn't even know she was an elf." 

"Now we know how she's so wealthy. They gave her the Elessedil name. " He looked at Morgan who now has people looking at her tattoo to see if it was real. 

"Adopted right? By who and why are the questions." Said Eretria now looking towards Morgan too. 

"You have to get out more often Rover." Wil laughed. "I think you're the only person that didn't know she was adopted by Prince Arion." 

"Well, this is what happens when I enter a royal school, I get tangled in all this useless politics." 

Wil chuckled at the irony. "Aren't you taking Criminology?"

Eretria smiled. "I am. You're not wrong." Eretria stretched out and yawned. " Does that make her royalty?" 

"I guess that does." He leaned forward and clasped his hands together. 

Eretria could tell Wil is in deep thought. He's not as cheery when his mind is occupied by something else. 

As the bell rang and students gathered their things, Eretria eyed the frustrated look on Amberle's face as she spoke to Allanon. 

"You coming?" Asked Wil as he stopped in his tracks to the exit doors. 

"You go on ahead. I'll call you later." Eretria answered. 

Wil shrugged and started walking out. Out with him were many of the other students. There was only about five students left in the room when Amberle finished her conversation with Allanon. Eretria had kept herself busy, pretending to walk out slowly. 

Amberle walked towards the exit doors, shaking her head before noticing Eretria. 

"Oh hey." Amberle spoke with a bit frustration still lingering in her voice. 

"Is everything alright?" Asked Eretria as they walked out into the white hall. 

They slowed near a window where they could see the sky setting with an orange glow. Students were now walking freely across the grounds. Some practicing in the combat field, some looking around and memorizing the place, and some eating their after school picnics. 

"Everything is alright." Amberle sighed, leaning against the window. "I just don't like to be kept in the dark." She stared at the sky, deep in thought. 

"So what happened in there?" Eretria asked curiously.  
Amberle looked at Eretria and wondered if she should even tell her. Eretria noticed her stalling and gave a pleading face. 

"Come on, share your weight with me." Eretria gave her a smile. Amberle couldn't help but return it. 

"You know, I've just met you today and we hadn't exactly started out on the right foot. Yet you're tearing my lid open and got me spilling out secrets to you ." Amberle chuckled before a sigh. 

"That tattoo… is the brand of Fallcress." She continued. 

"Yeah I can tell." Eretria said with sarcasm. Amberle shot her a glare. "Sorry, it's a habit." 

"Guess I'll just have to get used to your habits then?" Amberle raised a brow. 

Eretria gave her a smirk.

Amberle glanced at her lips but closed her eyes and reopened them, refreshing her thoughts. "Anyways, my uncle Arion never told me she was Fallcress. Long ago during my grandfather's wrath, uncle Arion led an army to a Valoid base outside their kingdom. They tore it down and destroyed it, but he didn't come back empty handed. He came back with Morgan who came out to be my new adopted cousin." She paused and thought about their younger years when they played together. 

"Were you two close?" Eretria tilted her head, searching through Amberle's eyes. 

"We were. But as we got older, I was given lessons on honor and duty. She was given differently." 

"Given differently?" Eretria questioned. Now leaning on the window, same as Amberle. 

"Yes. It's unfortunate to say, but I always knew that she was treated differently. They sent her to work at laboratories. Now I think she was more of being worked on than working. " Amberle stood up straight and looked down for a couple of seconds. "That Fallcress tattoo means she's of Fallcress blood. And since she is too young to be King Levron's wife or sister, that means she's his heir. " 

Eretria stood up straight and her hands dropped to her side. Her mouth was open. King Levron's only heir? Her roommate is royalty of Valoid and she doesn't even know it. 

"But, how?" Questioned Eretria in confusion. She lifted her hands to her forehead. Massaging it's tension. 

"Hence my frustration." Amberle threw up her hands. "I'll have to speak to my uncle about this. I've told you enough. I trust you won't speak a word about this until we settle this?" Amberle looked into Eretria's eyes. 

Eretria nodded. "Of course Princess." 

Amberle's lips tightened as she nodded back. "I'll see you tomorrow then." 

With that they walked outside separately. Eretria wandered back to her dorm in deep thought. Morgan is the enemy's daughter living among their kingdom. But within all of this bewilderment, she remains innocent. 

She walked up to her dorm room and noticed the door was unlocked. Morgan must've gotten there before her. As she entered, she closed the door behind her and routinely locked it. She dropped her bag to the side and before she even noticed it, a strong hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her forth quickly. Morgan's lips were against Eretria's in an instant. Her other hand around Eretria's waist.  
Eretria struggled to break free. 

"M.. Morgan.." She muffled trying to pry loose. "The..hel" 

Morgan's hands were traveling up Eretria's back and she pushed her up against the wall. She bit Eretria's lip and made it bleed. Eretria, even with all her might couldn't get out of her grip. Suddenly, she felt hot. Really hot.  
Although Morgan's eyes were closed, Eretria's eyes were wide open. Visible steam was evaporating off of Morgan's skin. Eretria could feel the heat burning through her clothes in Morgan's grip. Everytime Morgan moved, Eretria flinched. She tried so hard to get out, but Morgan was like an immovable object. 

More muffled sounds were coming out of Eretria as she tried to breathe within all the painful burns and heat. Soon Morgan's steam turned to thick white smoke and the smoke detector went off. Even then, Morgan still continued to make out with Eretria. 

Eretria started feeling light headed between the lack of oxygen and inhaling of smoke when she tried to breathe. The last sounds she could hear were the knocks and bangs on the door, the smoke alarm with that annoying siren, and shouts of "Morgan! What are you doing?" Eretria felt Morgan being pulled off of her and she collapsed onto the ground. 

The last thing she saw were three figures clouded with white smoke. She felt a hand placed on her forehead. She couldn't see who it was as total blackness overwhelmed her vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your thoughts are greatly appreciated! :)


	6. When One Door Closes, One Door Opens

Eretria squinted her eyes open. She was in a dark room on a soft bed. A white light illuminating from a lamp next to her was shining in her eyes and she struggled to keep them open. She looked to the right side of her bed and saw a monitor, making all kinds of beeping sounds. Well, as long as it's not a flatline. She noticed she wasn't in her clothes and instead, was wearing something super comfortable and gray. Soft pants and a shirt that looks like a nurse's. Like it's supposed to be a protocol uniform for patients.  
Besides the comfort she took from her outfit , she felt painful stings on her lips and parts of her body.

A shadowy figure started moving in the corner. She saw glimpses of white and purple and maybe long hair? The figure jumped up hastily and walked towards the bed, but before Eretria could make out a face, her eyes fell shut in defeat and felt herself go limp again as her head fell back.  
…

When she woke up again, this time the room seemed brighter. The same beeping noise was coming out of the monitors. She looked at the spot the shadowy figure was at and instead sees Wil, his head in his hands falling asleep. 

"Wil?" Eretria felt the the stings still lingering on her lips. 

Wil looked up as if he was never half asleep. 

"Hey, you're awake!" He smiled as he pulled his chair closer to the bed. His face was a little pale with unusual circles around his eyes.

"What happened?" She remembered the white smoke and her eyes went wide. "Holy shit! Morgan…"

"Calm down, it's alright. You're not going to die or anything. You just passed out, but you were treated for some minor burns. You're on a few medications. "

"What? How long was I out?" 

"About five hours." Wil answered pulling out his cell to text someone.

"Five hours? I got to my dorm around 7." Eretria said dropping her voice. She found her lips stinging more when she spoke. It felt somewhat dry. "That would mean it's past midnight?" She continued. 

"Yes and no." He looked into her eyes. "Amberle said you woke up but fell back into sleep before she got to you. That was around midnight. Right now it's 9 in the morning." He showed her the time on his phone. 

"Fourteen hours? What the hell?" Eretria felt the drowsiness climb back up her head and she tried to sit up, but the atrophy of her body was slightly great. 

"Hey, you should lie back down until the doc says so." He put his phone away and held her hand as she settled her head back into her pillow. 

She could still smell the tang of smoke in her nose. The headache she has does not go well with the stings she has all around. 

"Wait, you said Amberle?" Eretria asked realizing that was probably her she saw.

"Yeah. She stayed with you most of the time. I insisted that I should be the one since I'm your bestfriend, but she only caved in a couple of hours ago." 

"Interesting." Eretria wondered why Amberle would stay by her side. Then again, she is the Princess who supposedly cares about all her people.  
"Well, can you fill me in on whatever I missed out on while I was out?" She started fiddling with the thin plastic tube sticking out of her right arm. Intravenous therapy.  
"I hate hospitals." She said disgusted. 

"Sorry. No can do." Wil shrugged and stood up to stretch. 

"What? Why not?" Eretria furrowed her brows in frustration. 

"Amberle texted me earlier to let her know when you wake up. She said she has to speak to you. And apparently, wanted to tell you herself." He gave Eretria a smirk. 

"Texted? When did you two exchange numbers?" 

Wil walked around her bed slowly with his hands in his pockets. He wore a smile on that purposely annoyed Eretria. 

"You mean you didn't get her number yet?" Wil asked mocking her. "Eretria , the jack of all trades, have I actually beaten you at something for the first time? Who are you?" 

Eretria rolled her eyes. "Why do you have her number?" 

"Well, after I heard what Morgan did to you, I can't say that I was happy." He looked down with droopy eyes. "Quite disappointed actually." 

At that moment, she felt a little pity for her best friend. He had his hopes up, but now she could clearly see all of that was lost. His cheeriness was completely dulled. To find out the girl you liked was just playing you to get close to someone else, is not exactly something worth to remember. The rejection it gives keeps playing over and over. Yet, he looks back into her eyes and smiles. 

"Does my face really give it away?" He looked into her eyes, pointing to his face. 

"Wil.." Eretria started to speak but was interrupted. 

"No it's ok. I'm fine really." He gave her a smile better than the last. "Amberle and I had a chat. And if I ever need something, she told me to text or call her anytime." His ears were starting to turn pink. Eretria didn't miss him biting his lip.

"So,… she gave you her number?" Eretria gave him a half smile. 

"Yeah, can you believe it?" He scratched behind his right ear with a slight blush. "I usually have to ask. And she isn't just any other ordinary girl, she's the Princess!" Wil's voice gained a little bit of it's cheeriness back.

Eretria felt relieved to see his spirits raised. She smiled at sparks igniting within him. "Go get 'em short tips." She said.  
Her feeling of encouragement, which she didn't mind, was immediately replaced with a slight jealousy rumbling within her. 

"Well, she's on her way now." 

"What?" Eretria suddenly felt nervous. 

"Actually, I'm already here." Amberle spoke from the doorway. 

She was in her usually royal outfit, except now it's white and sliver. She nodded to Wil whose cheeks were red. He nodded back and turned to Eretria.

"Alright. I'll see you later Rover." He kissed her on her forehead and started on his way out. 

"Wait, where are you going?…Wil?" Eretria was confused, and Amberle's presence was strong. 

"Don't worry. He's just going to be outside in the waiting room." Amberle said as she sat down in the chair beside her bed. 

"How is your breathing?" She asked Eretria. 

"What's it to you?" Eretria muttered. 

"Eretria,... I need to know." Amberle said, trying to watch her tone. 

Eretria looked at her for a couple of seconds then switched to the monitor. "Sorry...I've noticed my chest feeling a little tighter and my breaths are shorter." She looks back into Amberle's eyes. She wondered why her tongue sharpens a bit every time the Princess is around.

Amberle studied her for a bit. "Well, the doctors will let you up in a bit. You need to exercise your lungs so you don't get pneumonia." She looked at Eretria's ruffled hair. Her braids were still in place, but it looks like it got caught in the winds of a rollercoaster. 

"Why am I even still here? Wil said I just passed out, which means I should've woken up less than ten minutes after I blacked out." Eretria sat up, ignoring her headache. She feels a little more awake than earlier when she first awoke.

"Passed out?" Amberle frowned. "That's an understatement, but then again, that was Wil that you spoke to." She continued. "Morgan's smoke contained unknown toxins. And after what happened to you, they turned out to be very malignant." 

Eretria shifted in her place, sinking it all in.

Amberle watched her scratch at her I.V.. "When someone has been exposed to as much toxins as you did, they're required to monitor you for twenty-four hours or more until they think you're ready to be discharged." Amberle looked down and sighed. "The lining of your respiratory tract was disrupted, your airway collapsed, and your respiratory system was distressed." She looked back into Eretria's eyes that were staring at the wall front side of the bed. "But the good news is that you've been imaged with chest radiographs and you're getting better. " 

Amberle tilted her head to catch Eretria's eyes. It's like she was drifting off in space to be pulled back in by Amberle. 

"That is...really an understatement." She responded with a small and short laugh that faded quickly. "Well, I believe I'm well." She felt the stings on her lips again. "But tell me the truth, are my lips burned?" 

Amberle looked at Eretria's hot pink lips. They had an aura of temptation on them. No. The aura was all over her. "They're beautiful." Before she realized what she said, it was too late. Her face reddened along with her ears.

If Eretria was blushing, she was doing very well at hiding it.  
"So what happened to Morgan?" She asked changing the subject. 

"That's another thing." Amberle scooted her chair closer and clasped her hands on the bed. "It was a couple of other girls in the dorm that found you, they say the alarm went off and saw smoke coming out of your room." She licked her lips and swallowed. She couldn't meet Eretria's eyes. "They had to break the door open, and found Morgan all over you." Her brow furrowed as if she imagined it and was disgusted at Morgan. No… hurt? 

"Yeah I know,… I was there." Eretria smiled trying to break the awkwardness with a joke. Amberle looked into her eyes with a face that Eretria couldn't place. Epic fail. 

"They took her ." Amberle said. 

"What? Where did they take her?" 

"She's being held in an observation cell at the laboratory." 

"For how long?" 

"I'm not too sure. They're not treating her like a lab rat, I'm making sure of that. They just need to figure out what happened. She has the blood of Fallcress, yet, all those years growing up, she showed no sign of inheriting their magic. " 

"Well, I think otherwise." Eretria said feeling her lips again. They were still stinging, along with parts of her face and the other parts of her body that was consumed by Morgan's grip. 

Amberle removed her hands from the bed and started rubbing her forearms. " You won't be going back to your room."

"Why not? You said Morgan isn't there anymore. " Eretria threw off her blanket and shifted slowly so that her legs were hanging off the bed. Amberle had to scoot backwards. 

"Yes. That is correct. However, your room is filled with leftover soot and toxins. Nobody is allowed inside until they handle it." 

"So then, where will I be sleeping?" Eretria narrowed her eyes inquiringly. "First day of school and I've already been hospitalized and moved." She said with an irritated tone.

"There's no other place in the dorms for you, and I've tried talking to the elders in charge to let you stay with me but they won't allow it." Amberle stood up and offered Eretria a hand.  
Eretria hesitated but took it. She instantly regretted it. Amberle's hand sent a spark through her arm that Morgan couldn't. And this was just from lending a hand. As she stood up slowly, she felt her legs struggle at first, but they held firmly. Neither of them looked into each other's eyes, and instead stared at their hands still together. They were so close to each other and yet so far away. Eretria didn't know what this feeling was, but she can tell that Amberle feels just as confused. 

"So umm,…" Amberle swallowed and let go of her hand. "You won't be staying with me, however, you will be staying in the palace since it's the only resolution."

Eretria raised her brow. "Am I getting my own royal room?" 

Amberle smiled. "I'm sorry but no. The only reason you're staying in the palace is because the Queen of Trio offered to take you in." 

Eretria's expression turned quizzical. "Crista?" 

"Yes, I take it you know her?" 

"I was just talking to her yesterday." Eretria started walking away slowly, searching for the strength in her legs. She was still a little light headed and Amberle kept close to her with her arms out just in case Eretria falls. 

"That's good. She's a really sweet person." Replied Amberle, keeping her eyes on the heavily medicated girl. 

She walked around for a couple of minutes and Amberle relaxed as she could see Eretria is fine to walk on her own. The doctor finally came in and told her to exercise her lungs as much as possible and if she needs assistance, to come back for a checkup. They handed her a bag with her clothes and told her to keep the ones she was wearing.  
As Amberle guided her out of the room, Wil stood up from the waiting room and greeted them both. 

"So who's showing me into the palace?" Eretria asked as they walked out and into a huge green hall. 

Amberle laughed and Wil chuckled with her.

"This is the palace." Smiled Amberle.

Eretria studied the hall for a moment. Servants were bustling about, the ground was a shiny black, the walls were lighted by small lit lamps, and the ceiling was super high. 

"Well I'm stupid." Eretria joked. 

"I'm not denying that." Wil laughed and Eretria shoved him playfully. 

"Well, Wil, can you show her to her room? I have to get back to class." Amberle asked with a sheepish smile. 

"Oh yeah of course. It's not like my classes aren't important." He laughed nervously. 

Amberle looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, It's just that I have combat training, and they'll be waiting for me." She threw her thumb in a direction behind her.

"Of course Amberle. You are the Princess, and a Princess has her duties." He lowered his head and gave her a bow. Eretria chuckled.  
But instead, she turned to Eretria. 

"If you need anything, you can always come to me." She smiled, then turned and left in a hurry. 

As soon as she was out of earshot, Wil turned to Eretria and started laughing heartily. 

"Shut up." Eretria rolled her eyes. 

"She didn't give you her number! Even after she said to come to her." He pointed at her mockingly but Eretria didn't care. 

"This isn't some kind of competition Wil." 

"Okay okay, I'm sorry! But I had to!" Wil smiled as he held his arm out for Eretria and she took it. They started walking down the hall, opposite of the way Amberle left. 

"You know, if you like her," Eretria hesitated but thought it was the best for both of them. "You should ask her out or something." 

Wil's face turned surprised and red. "Uhh,.. I mean she's the Princess, and there are a lot of other guys way more courtier material than I…" He spoke nervously. 

"Wil, you can't keep selling yourself short,…" she trailed off and then started laughing. "Short tips." She muttered to herself. 

"Sorry I didn't hear you…" Said Wil, tilting his head. 

"You're an ocean that thinks of itself as only salt. When really, people go to you for fun and energy and much more than that. And you don't see Amberle giving her number out to every guy that comes up to her do you?"

Wil thought about it, and Eretria could see something spark within him.

"You really know how to charm someone over Rover. Thank you."

"No,.. Thank you. You were there for me through everything. And I should start appreciating you more." She gave him a genuine smile. 

They came to a silver door with two armored guards standing in front of it. 

"This is for you." He said as he pulled out a key and placed it in Eretria's hand. He nodded at the two guards and they nodded back. "I guess I'll see you later? Hopefully you can make it to class tomorrow."

Eretria hugged him goodbye and put the key in the lock. As she entered, she made sure to look around first and then lock the door. Crista's room looks like a royal suite. It was three times bigger than her regular dorm. And everything was white, it made the place look so clean. Spotless. Everything. Eretria immediately felt super comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. She felt like she couldn't touch something without messing it up. She soon realized she was standing in a living room. 

A little to the right, was a grey leather couch with a huge plasma TV. To the left side was a long desk that fit two chairs. The desk contained shelves with books, both for school and entertainment. 

She walked through a thin hallway, taking a tour of the place while trying to find her room. The first door she opened was a huge bathroom. Of course it would be huge, everything is huge in here.  
The sink itself was crystal with a mirror. There was a crystal bathtub, and on the knobs, she could read 'steam' and 'ice vapor'. She got goosebumps at how a bath like that could feel like. About a couple of feet away from it was a tall glass. That must be the shower Eretria thought.  
She exited the beautiful bathroom before she decides to stay and continues her tour.  
At the end of a hall she found two rooms. She opened the door on the left. This must be Crista's room.  
The center of her room at the back wall was her queen sized bed with a bed frame of light curtains draping down the corners. The bed was lit by a huge window above, attached to the ceiling. High enough so nobody can see inside. Only she will be able to see outside, to the day sky and the night stars. Eretria wondered what it was like to sleep under the stars.  
She closed the door and continued on to the next one. The room was just as huge, but there was no ceiling window and no curtains around the bed. Eretria was a little disappointed in her not being able to see the stars but she shrugged. This is the guest room anyways. It had her own closet, a dresser with a mirror, and a lone recliner. She glanced at a digital clock on the wall. It was only 10:30AM, yet she felt so exhausted. She placed her bag down and gently laid herself on the bed, landing softly on her back. It was quiet. So quiet that she fell asleep within a couple of minutes.  
…

"Eretria…" 

She woke up bleary eyed. As she sat up, she accidently nudged a figure that was sitting next to her on the edge of the bed. 

"Crista?" She rubbed her eyes struggling to see in the dark. 

"The one and only." She said quietly. Eretria felt her stand. Suddenly, the room was filled with light. She could see Crista standing at the night stand near the bed with a remote. She was holding a jacket in her hand, and her heels were still on. Her inner hair was brighter than ever. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you, but you're in the wrong room." She twirled a finger gesturing the room. 

"I am? But isn't this the guest room?"

"It is. But I'd figure you'd prefer the room with the sky dome." 

Eretria smiled, giving in to Crista's soothing voice. "That's nice, but you don't have to." 

"It's fine. This has been my place for years, so I don't really care." She placed the remote back on the night stand. "Do you need help getting up or?"

Eretria stood up, picking up her bag. "I'll be alright. Thank you, Crista." 

Crista gave her half a smile. "You know where to find me." 

As Eretria left Crista's room she secretly felt a giddiness within her. She was happy that she'll be sleeping under the stars after all. She stripped her clothes down to her undergarments and cuddled under the sheets. This time, however, took her a couple of minutes to fall asleep. The stars were bright and beautiful. This moment should've been shared with someone. She wondered, if ever, who would savor moments like this with her. Who would want to be with her? A Rover?


	7. Nobody Knows But You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for such a delay! I'm immediately working on the next chapters, I hope there's not too much punctuation errors. Thank you for waiting! :)

It was getting hot. Eretria could only see blurs of two arms. Someone's hands were wrapped around her neck tightly. She could hear crunching sounds, unaware of where it is coming from. The person's fingers? Or her neck? She reached out for the person's face, but she couldn't grab hold. It felt like the distance from the person's arms to face was indefinite. Darkness was everywhere. The hands choking the life out of her were the only things visible right now, the rest is pitch black.  
Suddenly, her head banged against the ground as if she fell a hundred feet.  
She struggled to stand up, but couldn't. Her head was hurting so badly. The ground was burning hot and started erupting with heat. Eretria screamed and rolling on her back was the only way to stop the pain. Her hands were blistering from burns and smoke emitted from her fingers. Blood leaked out of her skin as it tore.  
As she gazed to the sky above her, trying to dim the pain, she saw that it was red and smoke arose above, billowing out the clouds, if there were any. She could hear shouts and screams coming from familiar voices.  
She tried to stand up once more, feeling like the weight of a vehicle was on her, she failed. This time, she crawled on her elbows instead of her bare hands. Seems like the smarter thing to do. Even as she crawled, she barely got anywhere before she flew up and landed against a gray brick wall.  
Bones crunched inside of her and she screamed in agony. She focused her vision with all the pain and searched for whoever threw her. No one.  
The place was now a blizzard and she sat in cold snow against the wall. But she could still feel the burns and smell the smoke everywhere. The sky was still red and she could see licks of fire reaching their pinnacle.  
Besides the screams of despair, she heard footsteps that reached to her ears from all directions. But something told her, these footsteps were not at all friendly. 

Malignant. Toxic. Painful. Suffering. Torture. 

These were the words that formed in her thoughts.  
She held herself up against the wall, embracing for whatever was about to happen as the footsteps become louder. 

All of a sudden, nothing. 

The screams stopped, the snow fell in slow motion, and the fire beyond the wall paused. The only thing she could hear was her rapid breathing and her nails digging into the walls. Her eyes darted around frantically, her heart started beating into her ears as well. Something is wrong. 

It took no effort to grab her attention. A single flame ignited inches from her face. Floating in the air with no possible source. She could feel the heat scorching her nose as it danced, disintegrating the slow motion snowflakes floating around it. 

Then a torturing scream. One that was not far off, but felt closer to her than ever. It was horrendous and sounded like nothing she has ever heard before. Her nails immediately broke on the walls and she didn't even notice. The pain resided elsewhere. She then reached to shield her ears, but it made no difference at all. It wouldn't stop. It just wouldn't. She could feel a warm liquid sliding down her hands from her ears. She was in so much pain to lift her hands, but she could feel it gushing from her ears. It started flowing down her arms and onto the rest of her clothes. Blood.  
She scrambled onto the snow, still covering her ears. The blood started seeping into the snow as well, and Eretria was starting to realize how much blood she was loosing. She felt a numbness growing from her chest area. She felt foam thickening in her throat, flowing out of her mouth. The scream was still ongoing. The pressure she felt in her brain felt like a hundred needles crawling around and skewering it. 

Just as it felt like forever, the pain started residing as the scream slowly lowered. No. It was still ongoing,... It was just fading. Like it was being pushed out or blocked. A voice started replacing the scream. A soft, low and familiar voice. She could hear it singing, reaching her like a light seeping in at the end of a tunnel. It somehow sent relief through her nerves and pain sensors. The voice was becoming more clearer, she could make out the words now.  
…"Let your nightmares fade,

calm your heart nice and slow,

when you wake you will be safe, 

from the stones that broke your bones."

Her eyes opened slowly, realizing she was in her room. Sunlight was seeping in through the dome. The clouds were against a bright blue sky. Her palms were sweaty and she could feel her hair sticking to her neck. Her heartbeat was banging against her chest. The voice was still singing, soft and low when she felt a hand hover over her head. She then realized, Crista was sitting next to her. The paragon of a voice was flowing from her lips.  
Eretria took in the rare sight. It seems Crista was possibly unaware that she was awoken. Her eyes were glowing gold as bright as the sun and she stared into nothing as she sung the same words over. Both her knees were on the bed and her hands were still hovering over Eretria's head. 

"Crista?" She gulped, her throat super dry. 

At that moment, Crista stopped singing and her eyes dimmed. The gold also disappeared, rimming around her eyes a couple of times before turning into a bright shade of blue. She looked at Eretria before setting her hands down slowly. 

"Are you alright?" Crista asked calmly, like nothing had just happened. 

"Uhh yeah. But what was that?" Eretria sat up, holding her blanket close to her half nakedness. She tried to control her breathing and she could feel her hands and legs shake, like the struggle in the nightmare was real. 

Crista looked at Eretria carefully, then stood up off the bed. She had a glowing aura around her. She turned to walk away to the door but stopped. 

"You still had plenty of toxins in your bloodstream. I would advise you to question your doctors, but I deem it pointless since I've just taken care of it." She glanced back at Eretria.

"I don't understand." Eretria sat up, dazed and confused. 

"It was affecting your dreams. I could feel your heartbeat next door." Crista continued to leave the room. 

Eretria took in deep breaths and relaxed for a couple of minutes. The time was 7:00AM. 30 minutes to get ready for class. 

…

The shower felt great. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to try out the bath. Perhaps another time or even tonight maybe. Apparently, Crista has already left since she found a note mentioning that she could eat anything for breakfast. But of all the food she could've taken, she grabbed an apple. She looked into a mirror in the living room to double check her braids as she bit into it. All in place, now time to go. Last thing to do was lock the door behind her.  
The guards were still standing in place, but they were different men. Possible taking turn in shifts. People were still bustling by. A few people were carrying steaming trays across the hall. Just think of what kind of breakfast those were. She started regretting her breakfast as she thought of the different kinds of food she could've had, yet here she is eating an apple. 

"Excuse me Miss." 

Eretria stopped in her tracks. She turned to see a guy with black ruffled hair, a familiar face. 

"Are you a royal that I didn't know of?" Bandon asked folding his arms, eyeing Eretria head to toe.

Eretria rolled her eyes. Not this dude again.  
"Bandon right? Let's get to the point. You know I'm not royalty. So what is it here you're trying to do?" 

Bandon whistled. "Can't a guy make a friend?" 

"Your ulterior motives are showing." 

Bandon unfolded his arms and stepped closer to Eretria, glaring into her eyes.  
"Please. If I wanted a human, I would've gotten a taste of you before you even knew it." 

She couldn't tell if that was a smirk or a snarl before a third voice entered the conversation.

"Nobody is getting a taste of her." Amberle said with blazing eyes toward Bandon. 

He stepped away from Eretria and looked the other way. He placed his hands in his pockets and couldn't meet Amberle's eyes. 

"Princess Amberle." He said and bowed his head at her presence. 

She was back with her white and purple armor. 

Amberle didn't acknowledge his curtsey and turned to Eretria. 

"How are you feeling? Has Crista treated you well?" She asked, still fuming at Bandon.

Eretria thought about earlier. The bad nightmare, the heat and smoke, the sweat and pain, Crista… with her golden eyes and light shining from them. But she felt it wasn't her place to speak of that. If nobody has said anything about it, not even rumors, then Crista probably wanted to keep it hidden.

"She has. I have as much freedom as I did in my own dorm. Just with ten times more luxury." She laughed. 

Amberle smiled and Bandon stood there awkward. 

"Bandon! Would you please stop leaving my side?" Catania came over yelling. She grabbed his arm and started dragging him away. He glanced once more at Eretria and offered her a wink. Eretria rolled her eyes. 

"Don't mind him. He's a huge jerk with no respect for women. He thinks it's all fun and games and that we're some kind of trophy." Amberle said as she frowned, disgusted. 

They started walking out of the palace dorms, dodging workers and maids. The air was cold and Eretria could feel herself shiver. 

"Didn't you two have a fling or something?" Eretria asked. 

Amberle blinked at the blunt question.  
"We dated,... For a few weeks." 

Eretria felt her heart jump. 

"He was sweet. He wasn't like he is now though. Something made him change. I found out he was 'hanging out' with other girls." Amberle looked down. She carried her single leather notebook. Eretria wondered where her other books were. 

"Hanging out. Right." Eretria said with sarcasm.

"Exactly, but I didn't hold it against him. Instead, me and my idiot self trusted him." She straightened herself and walked with her chin up.

"One morning, I had a meeting with my uncles and Grandfather, but I had to come back to the palace dorms for my notebook. And there he was, making out with another girl, his hands were groping her all over. Ugh. Right before my eyes. " Amberle shook her head, remembering all too well. 

"…Just…why?"

"Pardon me?" Amberle asked, forgetting she was foretelling her breakup to Eretria. 

"How could someone think of doing that to you? You're the Princess for king's sake!" Eretria looked into Amberle's eyes which were watching her carefully.

"I mean, I would never do that to you." She continued as she looked into Amberle's eyes.

Amberle's cheeks reddened as did Eretria's, but she couldn't take her eyes off of the rover. She noticed they closed the gap between them subconsciously as they walked towards the University. She could feel the warmth radiating from their bodies, which was a breath of fresh air, compared to the cold breeze. 

They broke their gaze as Eretria asked, "So, care to fill me in on what I missed yesterday?"

"Of course. I am your partner after all." Amberle smiled. "Luckily, all you missed was the basic lecture of Law. But I believe today we will be discussing the Impact of the Bystander effect, and mock trials." 

The two attended class together, and as Amberle said, the rest of class proved uneventful. Something about Amberle seemed to make Eretria want to be around her, never leaving her side. They smiled and laughed, catching the glimpses of students in class. When class ended, they walked out and into the elevator together.

"So I guess if I don't bump into you again today, I'll see you in Drama class?" Amberle asked as they got out of the elevator. 

"Of course." Eretria responded with a genuine smile, clutching her bag with one hand. 

They stood there in awkward silence. Neither wanting to leave, neither looking directly in each other's eyes. Amberle rocked from heel to toe and Eretria pretended to admire some painting on the wall. Suddenly, Eretria felt Amberle's hands pull her in for a hug. She felt a swarming sensation of butterflies. She hugged back and it unnecessarily lasted pretty long. 

As the pair tore away from each other, they smiled and walked in separate directions. The NorthWest Wing it is. Swimming/Gym. 

She walked with no interruptions. Dodging hurrying students left and right. She wondered about Wil and how his day was since she hasn't seen him yet. She wondered about Swimming and Gym class.  
Then she remembered, she has Crista in that class. Her thoughts immediately wandered back to this morning. Again. 

She blocked her thoughts out as she walked through the huge double doors of the gym. Prince Ander was already in front of the bleachers holding his clipboard. A lot of other students were still coming in. She walked over and sat in the same spot as last time. She didn't notice Crista until she sat next to her. She wore a tank top and a baseball cap. She was so pretty and she didn't even have to try. 

"How are you feeling?" She asked studying Eretria. 

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Eretria furrowed her brow. 

"Because we don't know the danger of Morgan's toxins." 

"Okay I get that, but really, can I ask why you are so concerned?"

Crista looked into Eretria's eyes then looked away. Deep in thought. "My kingdom was the Kingdom of Trio. Doves for peace, the swirl for magic, and the wings for flight. We were the clerics of the realm." 

Eretria thought about it for a moment before Crista continued. "What you saw this morning." She looked back into Eretria's eyes. 

"Nobody knows but you."

At the mention of this, Eretria shifted. She felt a certain responsibility from her being the only one that knows. Like she's being trusted. She doesn't like this feeling, she doesn't want anyone trusting her for that matter. The fear of letting someone down, the expectation that you won't do the information wrong. 

"My people,… I wonder everyday about who they were and what they were like. I have so much to learn about myself. The things that I could've learned if even only one other Sky Traveller lived. I can't imagine the possibility or the extent of my abilities." She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Imagining a world where other Sky Travellers roamed the sky freely, traveling in flocks, soaring high and smiling. 

"Abilities?" Eretria interrupted her daydream. 

Crista pursed her lips. "I have this ability, to detect whatever is wrong with people. This whole crowd here,… I can feel everyone's heartbeat. Who's is beating fast, and who's is too slow. Whenever someone's heartbeat is too fast, it gets loud, like this banging in my ears." 

Eretria drifted into imagination, wondering what that feels like. Before she could open her mouth to ask more questions, Crista continued to talk, already answering them.

"I don't immediately know who's heartbeat it is. I usually search through the crowd, and my eyes will tell me if I've set my sight on the owner." 

"So you can detect someone's heartbeat?"

"Not just heartbeats. I feel their pain. When their bloodstream runs low, when adrenaline courses through veins, you name it."

Eretria narrowed her eyes. "What? That's insane!" She exclaimed quietly, careful not to draw attention.  
Nobody was sitting near them enough to be able to hear anyways. 

"A bullet to the heart, a knife through the skull, deadly accidents, I can feel them too, just not in the way you'd think I'd feel. But the feeling is nothing to the silence of a heartbeat that shortly follows. The inactivity of a brain, a hollow body that a soul has left behind… It's not something that someone should be able to feel." 

Suddenly, Eretria realizes what Crista has to go through everyday. She understands now that her blank stares are nothing to do with speechlessness.

"I wish I could ask how the people of my bloodline worked through it, but other times I'm glad nobody else suffers this consequence of an ability." She takes her cap off and runs her hands through her hair while closing her eyes once more. 

Eretria sits forward deep in thought.

"I can also turn my ability off, but not all at once. I can only do it individually, and that's a lot of work with how many people I see everyday." 

"Nobody else knows?" 

"You mustn't tell anyone. Do you know where Morgan is?"

"Amberle told me she's being examined." Eretria pointed out.

"For what?" Crista asked, taking her phone out. 

"She produced poisoned steam? Toxic smoke? Some kind of ability? Maybe even fire." Eretria stared at Crista quizzically.

"Exactly. Whether its good or bad, abilities are immediately being examined. And I'm not sure if I'm ready to share mine yet." 

"Crista, you healed me. You could do good with your power."

"You don't understand. That enchantment I used on you, I've only done that twice. It drains a part of me that even I don't understand. And if people find out what I can do, there'll be pleading and begging. They'll say the Queen of Trio is a healer after all! and soon there will be a line of all sorts of creatures, animals, humans, elves waiting to be healed." 

Eretria understood where she was coming from and nodded her head. 

"I'm not saying that would be a bad thing. I'm just worried about forcing my ability to do so much when I'm still trying to figure out what it takes from me."

Eretria realized something she hadn't asked earlier.  
"Wait, you said you've only used it twice because it takes a lot from you. That would mean the only other time you've used it was on me? Why?"

Crista caught herself being surprised by the question. She had hoped Eretria didn't bring this morning up. Too late. 

"Your heartbeat,… was too loud. I've noticed from the start actually, when I've laid my eyes on you, there was something irregular about your heartbeat."

Eretria leaned back and studied Crista, trying to comprehend what she was saying. 

"And this morning, the poison was racing to your heart. It was basically screaming to me. And then I felt your… suffering." Crista continued. 

"I don't get it. So were you feeling what was happening to me? In my dream?" She sat up, listening intensely. Curious to see if her dream could be explained. 

"No. Eretria." Crista sighed and fiddled with her hands. "You were dying."

At that moment Eretria's eyes were wide. And her heartbeat sped up. She wondered if Crista could feel it. That lack of oxygen, the pain she felt in her chest, was that all happening because she was dying? 

She remained speechless and couldn't think of anything else to ask Crista. And even Crista was silent for a while before class started. Luckily Eretria was excused for the day because of her hospitalization. She thought about what would've happened if she didn't move in with Crista. What if Crista wasn't even there? Or if she stayed with Amberle? Could Amberle have saved her? 

She thought of Amberle, Wil, and possibly Crista, her only friends, standing over her cold and lifeless body. Her hands clasped together cold and blue. Her eyes shut eternally.

Their emotionless faces now at a funeral, with rain dripping off their umbrellas. After the funeral is over, no one is there. Everybody carries on to live their lives, with nothing to remember her by, but her witty remarks.  
At that moment Eretria felt a low point hit her. Her feelings rising high and low. Crestfallen. Suddenly, she felt alone in the world, realizing one of her true fears. Not once getting the chance to experience love.


	8. The Ellcrys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like this chapter!

"What's wrong?" Wil asked, watching Eretria poke at her steak. 

She didn't look him in the eyes. Her steak, so tender and juicy, was starting to get cold and dry up. The only noises heard from her was the clanging of her fork against her plate. 

"Eretria?" He waved a hand in front of her, attempting to get her attention. "Helloooo?"

She looked up at him with discontented eyes. 

"Not now."

"Oh! You're alive! You've not spoken the whole lunch."

Eretria cringed. Of course she's alive, but if he only knew. Maybe it's best if he doesn't.

"Your steak is getting cold. That'll be a waste of free food." He said trying to crack a joke. 

"Will you just shut it?" Eretria threw her hands up in frustration and Wil blinked, stopping his food from reaching his mouth.

"Geeze, you were so appreciative the other day, I've almost forgotten how spicy you really are." 

Eretria glanced the other way, subconsciously tightening her jaw. She looked back down to her food and sighed. She placed her fork down to pick up the steak with her hands and started eating it. Wil smiled at the thought of her getting some food in her system. She just got out of the hospital after all. 

"How was your day?" Eretria asked so suddenly, like she didn't just throw a tantrum. Wil had a dubious look in his eyes for just a second. 

"Medic class was alright. There's so much to learn! Maybe one of these days I'll be the doctor here. Who knows?" He smiled vividly. 

"And Botany?" She asked, ripping her steak away with her teeth. 

"Much more complicated than I thought it would be. But still, I think it's worth it. If I can study all the right herbs and plants to combine them, we can produce economy efficient cures and medicine." He smiled wide thinking of the future possibilities.

Eretria was proud that he decided to use any wit he has in him for the better.

"How about you?" He asked, drawing the question towards her. Hopefully getting an explanation for her unpredictable mood swings. 

She finished up her steak and wiped her hands gently with a folded napkin on the table.  
She thought about her morning with Amberle and her talk with Crista but said nothing. 

She grabbed her plate and stood up. She walked to put away her finished dish but stopped and turned around to Wil. 

"You comin' Short Tips?" She furrowed her brows. 

Wil blankly stared for a couple of seconds before doing the same. That was disappointing. 

They still had ten minutes before the next class, so they took a short walk outside. The sun was bright but the wind was still cold. It was peaceful and serene. Leaves fall from a trees, flowing with the breezes. Eretria's eyes fell into admiration of one particular tree in which it's leaves stayed prolonged and strong, branching out in all directions. Not one leaf fell.  
It was in the middle of the park next to the fountain. It was huge, but there was something about this tree that she felt peculiarly drawn to. 

It's leaves were bright amber, glinting in the sunlight.  
A few students were sitting in a small circle at the base of it's trunk. It towers over them, providing a canopy of shade for them. One of the students was laying on his back dozing off on a soft blanket. Another was reading her book,munching on a pear. 

She and Wil walked up to a plaque on a stone stand in front of the tree. Words were neatly engraved in cursive. 'Ellcrys'. 

"So this is the Ellcrys huh?" Wil asked, tracing his hands across the words, admiring it's craft and calligraphy.

Eretria walked a bit closer to the tree, walking around the small group of students. She looked up, the sunlight now reaching her face with thin beams. There must be hundreds of thousands of leaves. 

"It's… beautiful." She said placing a hand on its bark. 

"It's a really old tree." He stepped next to her with his hands in his pockets. 

"Do you believe the stories?" Eretria looked at Wil, after leaning her back gently against the Ellcrys, relaxing. 

"Well, there's been no sign of demons in our realm. But to think this single tree holds a barrier of protection over all of the kingdoms? We must be the lucky ones to host it's environment." 

Eretria folded her arms and looked up again, addicted to the peace radiating from the Ellcrys. She closed her eyes. It would be wonderful to take a nap here. 

"Of course I've taken an interest in studying the Ellcrys, botany and all, but the elders won't allow it."  
Wil said, taking in how huge the Ellcrys is. "It's forbidden." 

"I feel, like I'm supposed to do something." Eretria spoke, stepping out of her relaxation mode. 

"What do you mean?" Wil questioned. 

"The Ellcrys, it gives me a sense of responsibility, protecting it's people. I don't know what I'm supposed to do, but I'm capable of something more. I will find out what my task is soon enough. I will make use of my damn self." She felt herself tense.

"Eretria, you are more valuable than you think you are." Wil said stepping closer to her. "Especially to me and you know that." 

Eretria glanced the other way. 

"You just happened to stumble onto my path." She said.

Wil shook his head. "Stumbling or not Eretria, that day was a changing point of my life. You saved me!"

Eretria glared at him to keep his voice down. 

"Those four boys? They've been planning to shut me down for a while until you came along." Wil smiled in disbelief, thinking back to that same day. 

Eretria rolled her eyes. "You were weak. They were weak. It didn't take much effort Wil." 

"That's how you see it! Because you grew up in an unstable background, you've had to roll in mud before sleeping on a bed. You didn't get the love that you deserve, and because of that, you're tough! Solid as a rock! You've hunted your own food for survival for king's sake! You've never had it good!" 

Eretria looked around to see if anybody was watching their conversation. A couple of eyes saw, but they did nothing more than glance to avoid any kind of commotion. Eretria smacked her forehead with a quick palm and shook her head. She eyed Wil to follow her as she started walking away from the Ellcrys. 

"Come on short tips. You've got some mouth on you, it'd be a shame if someone were to sew it shut." She gave him a devious smirk. 

…

Behind the Ellcrys on the other side of which Eretria and Wil were standing, a brunette poked her head out. She wasn't that far from the two just a couple of seconds ago. Although eavesdropping was not her intention, her bright green eyes were now filled with intense curiosity. As Wil and Eretria walked out of earshot, Wil's voice still chattering but fading all at once, she placed her leather notebook down and sighed. Her white and purple armor shined with excellence. One hand on the tree, and the other holding her notebook close to her side. "Princess Amberle!" She heard from a couple of students as they walk up to her in excitement. She smiled, ready to engage in conversation. However, nothing compared to this desideratum tugging at her feelings. Pulling on her strings, playing a song of desperation.

…

Most students sat in the same place as usual. They chattered different conversations while waiting for Allanon. Nobody knew where he was and they've been sitting for five minutes now. Eretria and Wil exchanged smiles with Amberle as she sat in the front row. Students were already trying to gain her attention, attempting to impress her with pick up lines. A tall muscled guy with really nice brown hair and white teeth was charming enough to make her blush a little. He got on one knee and kissed her hand. 

Eretria rolled her eyes and looked at Wil. He had a wistful, disappointed look on his face mixed with longing for the Princess. 

"You should take notes Short Tips." She said twirling a pencil in between her fingers. She studied her finger tips and remembered it blistering with pain. Her heart fell at the suffering she felt that night of her traumatizing nightmare.

"Nah." Wil leaned forward, clasping his hands and resting his elbows on his knees. "I kind of knew she'd like the romantic types. But I don't know if I could be as romantic as she'd like." 

"Yeah keep blabberin' on about how unromantic you are. The guy kissed her hand, you call that romantic?" Eretria gestured to the guy who is still flirting with the Princess. He runs his hands through his fine hair, laughing with Amberle. 

"Take her to dinner, light a candle, anything is pretty much romantic these days." Eretria crossed her boots on the head of the seat in front of her and leaned back. 

Wil ran his hands through his hair attempting to imitate the tall guy. His long blonde hair got caught on his gloves and it took him a couple of seconds to get it out. Eretria watched him fail and chuckled. 

"What would you do?" He asked her inquiringly.  
He placed his chin in one of his palms and he waited for her answer. 

She hesitated before she spoke. "I would take her swimming at the Cascade Waterfalls, maybe get there on horses. Then we'll climb the Pegasus statue outside of the kingdom and stare to the end of the realm." Eretria gazed off into imagination, it seems like so much fun, she considered doing it even it was by herself. 

"Horseback riding huh? Not bad. And that statue, its over a hundred feet tall! Nobody's been up there in ages." 

Before Eretria could protest him about stealing her ideas, a silence fell across the class as Allanon walked in slowly, holding his clipboard and looking down at the floor. His shoes clattered across the stage. Not once looking up, the students could hear his sniffles. Tears fell from his eyes. 

"I… I'm sorry…" He stuttered and fell to his knees on the stage, his clipboard clanging on the floor. Some of the students sat on the edges of their seat. 

"My… Sammy…" His sniffles started turning into muffled cries. 

A few of the students got up, including Amberle, and walked over to help him off of the floor. 

"Allanon, what happened?" Asked Amberle. 

"Sir, what's wrong?" Asked another student. 

He let them help him up but waved a hand to let him go. His eyes were red and his hands turned into fists. He walked over to his desk and slammed his hands on it. The class was startled and quiet, Eretria and Wil stood up. He started banging on it repeatedly and yelled "Samantha!"

Some students tried to calm him down but instead he snapped his clipboard in half. 

"No! You don't understand what I've been through!" He yelled, baring his teeth like a wolf. His eyes could start fires and the students backed away. 

"My Sammy,… Samantha… she's gone..." He looked down and started crying again.  
The students didn't know whether console him or let him breathe. Amberle was just as well confused. 

"Allanon…" she started to reach out her hand when he looked up and smiled.  
She withdrew her hand and furrowed her brow suspiciously. 

He wiped away his tears and picked up the broken clipboard. No trace of anger or sadness left in his face. 

"And that is how you get an audience out of their seats." He placed the clipboard in the trash and turned to the students who were now realizing it was just an act. Some started laughing. A smile crawled on Wil's face too as he and Eretria sat back down.

Amberle sighed in relief. And sat back down. As the rest of the class settled back down, Allanon took out his real clipboard which was obviously metal. 

"Very soon we will be doing a short play, but first I would like to see where you all stand, acting wise." He sat on the edge of his desk selecting students in his mind. 

"What kind of play?" A student asked. 

"Classic tragedy." Allanon answered immediately. "But not today, I will explain what the play is about next class. Today we will do random exercises with random scenes. I give you roles, and you act the lines from thin air."

The class murmured on the thought of a tragedy play and the fun exercise. Some smiled, eager and others, like Eretria, stayed still. 

"Alright." Allanon continued, rubbing his hands together with anticipation. 

"Hmmm…" He paced the stage looking through his students. 

"Princess Amberle, would you please step up on stage." He gestured her to stand next to him. 

Amberle made no hesitation and walked onto the stage, ready for any task Allanon is about to throw at her. 

"You. Handsome young man." He pointed to Wil. Wil straightened himself. 

"Me?" Wil asked pointing to himself for reassurance. 

"Yes Wil. You." Allanon said as he eyed Eretria. 

"Are you and Eretria close?" Allanon asked as Wil walked from his seat. 

Wil turned to Eretria who had her pencil in her mouth horizontally, rocking her chair with her boots up on another. She narrowed her eyes and lifted a brow curiously. 

"Uhh you could say that. She's my best friend." He smiled as he walked onto the stage. 

"Good." Allanon continued. He motioned for Eretria to come onto the stage. 

She knows he selected her but she didn't move, folding her arms. She stayed silent for a moment before Allanon motioned her again. 

"I'm good. Thanks." She said as she placed her pencil back into her mouth. 

"Oh you're good? That's good. So come and be good on stage." Allanon responded. 

Eretria rolled her eyes. "Look, I didn't sign up for this alright?" She glared at Wil and regretted taking this class. 

"Oh really? Are you afraid your acting isn't proficient?" Allanon folded his arms, smirking. 

Eretria looked at Wil who dared not to look into her eyes and Amberle who raised her brow. A challenge? She then placed her pencil down and walked onto the stage. 

"Excellent!" Allanon exclaimed as he clapped his hands together. 

"Wil, you are playing Logan, a conceited star quarterback who lusts over Paisley, but you have a girlfriend." 

Wil nodded and smiled. Logan is total opposite but it's just acting.

"Princess Amberle, you are playing Paisley. An innocent girl who is prone to Logan's eyes and needs." Amberle blushed a little and saw that Wil did the same. 

He looked to Eretria who tilted her head, waiting for the role he was about to give her, not taking it seriously. 

"You will be playing Kiera, who is Logan's popular and sassy girlfriend. I want to test your acting chemistry with Wil. That's why I made you a couple."  
Eretria's eyes widened. Definitely a blow to throw. Amberle looked from Wil to Eretria, somewhat nerve stricken. Wil looked at Allanon pleadingly. 

"Alright I'm out." Said Eretria as she started to walk back to her seat in retreat. 

"Eretria, I heard you're an Aced student. I didn't take you for one that gives up so easily." Allanon said hoping to prompt her. 

It worked. 

Eretria turned slowly and walked back on stage. She folded her arms and glared at Wil who gave her a sheepish smile. 

"Fine." She said. 

"You have three minutes." Allanon said as he sat down in one of the seats. "Are you ready?" 

They all shifted on stage. Wil grabbed a black snapback hat from a box of accessories and placed it backwards on his head. Amberle sat on a desk that was propped on the stage with a book. Eretria looked at Wil, still furious, interlacing their fingers. Wil flinched at the feeling and Eretria face-palmed herself, not believing that Wil could get in character. 

"Action!" Allanon clapped his hands together pretending to be a clapperboard. 

"That movie was hot last night babe, we should do it again sometime!" Eretria said, immediately getting into character. She held his arm close while looking up at him. She lifted up a leg and dabbed a fingertip at his nose,giggling. 

Wil got distracted for just a moment before getting into character. 

"Totally! But don't you think we should watch something more sexy or hardcore next time?" He asked trying to figure out things he wouldn't actually say in real life.

"Oh darling, did you not feel the sensation I felt when Kevin got his guts ripped out by that demented cannibal!?" She tilted her head back. "His scream was music to my ears!"

Wil chuckled but it felt uncomfortable. "If you think screaming is a pleasure to ears, then I'm going to make you sing tonight." He said placing his hand on her waist, a little too close for Eretria's comfort. But she stayed in character regardless and showed no sign of discomfort. 

"Mmm.." Eretria bit her lips. "You don't know the half of the things I'd do to you if we're not in school right now." She continued. 

The class watched silently and even Amberle glanced up to watch for a couple of seconds. 

Wil's face turned red and Eretria glared at him, her face read 'Stop imagining it Short Tips'.

He swallowed nervously. "Kiera baby, you've already done so much to me. Are you hiding a few tricks up your sleeve you freak?" He smirked, attempting to put himself in Logan's shoes. 

Eretria giggled some more, making Kiera's character deem sassy. Their hands were still interlaced. 

"You don't need to worry about that." She looked him up and down, licking her lips coyly. "Just prepare." 

Amberle pretended to write something, but unable to control herself, she looked up to the couple.  
Wil glanced at her awkwardly blushing. Eretria noticed their exchange and looked down for a second. This is going horribly. But Eretria stayed in character.  
She stepped closer to Wil and placed a hand behind his neck before pulling him down towards her. 

The class shifted and watched carefully. Eretria reached Wil's lips and went for it. It was a bit odd for Eretria to kiss Wil, but it's just acting she told herself. She thought it was a good idea to impress Allanon, but she regretted it. The idea of kissing her bestfriend has never crossed her mind nor has she felt that way about him.  
The kiss lasted for five seconds with both their eyes closed. Wil had his hands on her hips while her arms were now wrapped around his neck. Amberle flinched awkwardly at the embrace and especially the kiss. Her face was flushed. Doleful and disappointed. 

Eretria pulled back and flipped her hair. Wil was left with a slack-jawed expression. 

"I'll be back baby, I gotta make a little run to the lady's room." She crinkled her nose and winked as she stepped to the side. 

Wil, taking that as a sign to start a scene with Amberle, walked over to her with his hands in his pocket. Amberle was jotting something down on a notebook before looking up to him. Her expression was fixed, but something about it seemed bleak. 

"Hey, Paisley right?" He asked with a cheeky smile. 

"That's me." She smiled agonizingly. "Aaaand Logan right?" 

He gave her a wink. He leaned over and whispered. "You wanna come to a drink out tonight after my game? We're going to celebrate our third victory, its going to be fun! Rave lights, dancing, shots, and there's a pool too if you wanna go skinny dipping." 

"Celebrating a victory after your game tonight?" She raised her brow in suspicion. "You mean a party for a game you haven't won yet?"

He laughed. "Baby, I know we're gonna win no doubt. Especially with me on the team." He said sanguinely. He leered her up and down in a wolfish way. 

"Umm… don't think Kiera would appreciate you calling me baby or inviting me to a party." She responded with a disgusted shake of her head.

Wil chuckled. "Do you think I'm stupid? Kiera isn't going to the party tonight, me and the boys made sure our girlfriends are going to be … occupied tonight." He stepped closer and placed a hand on her desk while leaning closer. This prompted her to stand up and step away from it. 

He smiled at her. Cocky and confident. He had the perfect face for someone with this much of an ego Amberle thought. 

"No girlfriends, no Kiera. And I would like to see what else you can do with that smart head of yours." He stepped closer to her, hoping Eretria was going to step back into scene sometime soon. "I take it you can accomplish one goal in different ways." He said wryly, his smile deceitful.

Meanwhile, Eretria was still a few feet away from them, out of scene, digging her nails looking uninterested. Waiting impatiently for the exercise to be done with. 

Amberle responded with a hunted expression. "Please, cut it out. I don't want to cause any trouble with Kiera." 

Wil stepped closer, taking hold of her arm.  
"Come on Paisley, it'll only be one time. Don't you want to make the star of your football team happy?"

Amberle struggled. "Let go of me!" She couldn't break out of his hold as he used his other hand and grabbed her lower waist. 

Eretria stepped forward. 

"What the hell?" She put on a grim face. "Logan?" 

Wil released Amberle and looked at Eretria. Internally, he felt relief. "Kiera…" His face turned roguish. "This skank touched me and I was just teaching her a lesson! I've already told you Paisley! I'm with Kiera damn it!" He scolded Amberle. 

Eretria glared at Amberle and she tensed. 

"What?" She started panicking. "That's not what happened!" 

"Then what 'did' happen?" Eretria asked glowering. 

Wil looked at Amberle with a distasteful scowl. 

"He asked me if I wanted to go to a drink out tonight." She said hoping she would believe her. 

"I don't believe you." Eretria folded her arms and Wil smiled sardonically. 

"He said he and the boys are making sure you and their other girlfriends are occupied." Amberle continued. 

Eretria looked at Wil in deep thought. "Wait a minute, you guys did give us a full pass to a spa salon tonight."

Wil's expression turned grave. His face turned pale and he rendered speechless.

"I can't believe you!" She started aggressively, but lightly smacking his shoulder. 

"How could you?" She shook her head. "I've always known you can't hold your noodle back." She said angrily and turned to Amberle. "And Paisley? She's been your side chick this whole time??" 

"I am no way involved with him!" Paisley said trying to get her attention. Eretria ignored her. 

"Kiera babe…" Wil said putting his hands up, abstractly holding back his girlfriend's temper. 

"No! I won't take any more of this! I need a man who's attention is on me all the time! Someone who spoils me non stop!" She finally turned to Amberle. She walked towards her slowly. "You know? She is pretty cute." She gave a brooding smirk. 

Amberle's face was deadpanned. Wil looked down. 

Eretria stepped closer to Amberle and Amberle looked into her eyes, searching through to find her plans for this skit. 

"Maybe I just need a taste…" she glanced at Wil who was flushed. She twirled a strand of Amberle's hair and Amberle fell prone to blushing. "To see what has you so riled up..." She turned to Amberle and gave her a stern apologetic look, like she didn't plan for it to go this far. She ran her fingers through Amberle's hair, pushing it behind her ears and Amberle could feel her heart melting at the brush of Eretria's palm. 

Eretria leaned in but slowed to a stop just mere centimeters away from Amberle's lips. She could feel the heat and tension between her and Amberle. She expected Allanon to pull the scene to a close by now. He didn't.  
Her lips were ready to take Amberle's and Amberle was trembling with anticipation and confusion, But instead, Eretria kissed the lower part of her cheek, just slightly touching the corner of Amberle's lips holding it for a couple of seconds before departing softly. Amberle felt an alluring sensation she couldn't quite capture. 

"Cut!" Allanon said with a clap of his imaginary clapperboard. 

The class clapped lowly since it wasn't a full audience. 

Eretria stepped out of character, face reddened, and looked into Amberle's green eyes. The Princess looked conflicted and inscrutable. Wil however, was absent minded.

"Very good you three. Eretria, you've proved yourself to be a worthy aspect of theatre, maybe slightly better than the Princess." Amberle wasn't paying attention, she was looking elsewhere, her mind preoccupied. "And Wil, you'll do fine but we need to work on calming your nerves down a notch. Go ahead and go back to your seats. Next group will be…" 

As Eretria and Wil sat back down awkwardly. Amberle was settling no better. Eretria thought about her kiss with Wil and her kiss with Amberle. The class went on with other scenes. Some disappointed Allanon with their lack of skill and some were better than Eretria, Wil and Amberle's skit. Amberle didn't look once at Wil and Eretria. Eretria was the more relaxed one than the other two however. After class ended, Eretria hugged Wil goodbye and told him not to think too much about their kiss. Amberle, however, caught up to Eretria as they walked out of the University and into the courtyard.

The sun was nowhere to be found and a clap of thunder can be heard from the sky, but the girls ignored it. A tense awkwardness hung in the air between them. 

"Hey." Eretria spoke. "Some skit huh?" She walked, holding her school bag on one shoulder. 

Amberle forced a smile and nodded. She looked down and held her notebook in front of her with both hands. Her shoulder cape flowed with the wind as they continued their walk. 

"Yeah, you're a better actress than I thought. I've got to be more careful around you." She looked up to Eretria and gave her a more genuine smile. 

Eretria looked into the distance with hesitancy drawn on her face. 

"What's wrong?" Amberle asked curiously. 

"Wil. I think he was hurt by our kiss." 

Amberle immediately thought about how she was hurt when Eretria and Wil kissed. Her face turned wistful, thinking that Wil shouldn't be hurt because she and Eretria barely even touched lips. 

"Really? Why is that? … Does he like you?" She asked Eretria, not sure if she wants to know the answer. 

"More like he likes you." Eretria chuckled. 

Amberle's eyes went wide and she blushed with embarrassment. 

"Don't tell him I told you though. He'd be on my tail for weeks." Eretria rolled her eyes. Amberle stopped in her tracks and Eretria followed suit. 

"Can I ask you something?" Amberle asked with a serious but relaxed tone. She straightened herself.

"What's on your mind Princess?" Eretria asked, distracted by a few drops of rain. It was starting to sprinkle. 

Amberle sighed. "Why was our kiss so different from yours and Wil's? I mean, shouldn't it be no different? Or are you against girls kissing other girls?" 

Eretria flushed with embarrassment and confused at her addressing the question so bluntly and why she would even feel the need to bring it up. 

She looked up at the gray clouds forming overhead of them and felt the rain on her palms getting heavier. She looked back into those green eyes that belongs only to Amberle and realized she was serious about the question.

"Okay look, Wil's an airhead and my best friend. I have no feelings toward him. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't either. But you... You're the Princess! Of course someone is going to think twice about even touching you!" She started projecting her voice as louder rain came pouring down. They started walking again but faster. 

"That's not true! Those guys in the elevator on the first day have proved that and you know it!" 

As they hurried, getting soaked in the rain, Eretria eyed Amberle's only notebook. The same one she's been carrying all around. Eretria gently grabbed hold of it but didn't take it until Amberle realized what she was intending. Just as Amberle it go, Eretria quickly shoved it into her bag, sheltered from the rain. 

"Let me rephrase, anybody with a brain wouldn't think of even touching you!" 

They noticed the Ellcrys and ducked under it's canopy with less rain striking them now. Thunder can still be heard and they were soaked. Amberle's once flowing shoulder cape now drenched and raindrops sliding off her brown leather jacket. 

"Wait…" Amberle said glazed. "One of the reasons was because you didn't have feelings for Wil?" She asked looking into Eretria's eyes. 

Eretria leaned back onto the tree closing her eyes, taking in deep breaths. Still huge and peaceful despite the sudden rainstorm.

"Yup. No feelings whatsoever." Eretria shook her head as she crossed her boots nonchalantly. 

Amberle rung some rain from her cape as she asked, "In comparison to?" She raised her brow suspiciously. 

Eretria stared her. Realizing the question she's asking, her ears turned red and she responded with a bashful face. She tried her best not to show it, but it was too obvious. So obvious that Amberle looked the other way and bit her lip. She didn't realize her hands were shaking. Not sure if it was because of the cold rain, or the fact that Eretria made her nervous. 

"I umm…" Eretria muttered, trying to find an explanation. "I was going to do it." She finally said looking up at the sky, now standing on her two feet, off of the tree. 

Amberle looked into her eyes, her heart pacing.  
Eretria was getting nervous as well. She wasn't one for showing any of her feelings besides being impassive. 

"I was going to kiss you, but you're too precious to be disrespected. You deserve better, and… I don't know you." She looked into Amberle's eyes, focused and fixed. "I don't know, if it was going to be your first kiss or not. Most likely not, since you dated Lorin, but either way I didn't want to risk stealing that away from you. You're not somebody to be toyed with." She shifted her bag, placing it correctly on both shoulders and placed her hands in her pockets. "And not only that, I'm a lowly rover, definitely not someone a Princess should be kissing." 

Amberle found herself staring at the grass. The rain was getting even more heavier and it was starting to break through the leaves and branches that once gave them shelter. She looked into Eretria's inscrutable eyes. 

"Does that explain enough for you Princess?" Eretria asked with a smile that she hoped Amberle didn't realize was forced. 

"Yes... But I've had questions in my head that I've been meaning to get out now that we're on the topic." Amberle paced looking down with a hand on her hip. She sighed through the rain.  
Eretria felt a strong necessity to shield her from the cold raindrops but held in her temptation. That would just make things more suspicious and complicated.

"I mean they just keep running over and over in my head and it seems inevitable." She stopped pacing and reluctantly stepped closed to Eretria. Eretria backed away until the Ellcrys kept her from backing further. Way to go Ellcrys. She narrowed her eyes in confusion, one hand on the Ellcrys, now using it for support as Amberle steps even closer. 

Amberle stared into her eyes, their bodies radiating heat within the cold rain. 

"Maybe…" Amberle mumbled, her eyes racing to each of the rover's eyes. "This can answer my questions."  
She leaned in and rested her forehead on Eretria's to ease the tension. Something they both needed. They could hear each other's breath.  
Then slowly, as lighting took a picture of the two, they brushed their noses together in sync, scared of introducing their lips to each other, scared of the possibilities. Thunder clapped in unison when their lips finally met. Sparks lit them on fire, a fire that the rain couldn't put out. The fire that keeps them awake.


	9. Contrite

The water that ran hot soothed the tension in Eretria's muscles. Evaporated steam rose above the bath's liquid surface. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Her and Amberle's kiss was occupying her mind the whole way back to the palace dorms that she only realized she was soaking in ice cold rain when she entered the dorm. She'd apologized to Crista about dripping water on the carpet but Crista waived it off and said it was inevitable anyways. 

When she stepped into the bubble bath therapy, it did wonders. Her hair soaked in the hot water, locking in the warmth on her scalp. She could sit in here for hours if she could. She looked at the mirror across the bathroom above the crystal sink. It was fogged up from the steam. Suddenly, her mind traveled back to the steam that Morgan had produced. She shook the thought, but sat up straight. She looked at her arm. The area that Morgan grabbed that night had a slight scar from the burn. It was the only area that had visible evidence from that night.

… Five minutes later. 

Eretria put on a pair of comfortable pajamas and walked out to the kitchen, her hair loose of braids. She opened the black refrigerator and took a look inside. Different kinds of sandwiches were stacked in zip-lock bags, sauces lined up the door and most of the bottom half were filled with healthy drinks and water. 

"If you don't like anything there, you can order some room service. The menu is on the counter." Crista said with a quiet voice, laying on the couch, propped up on one elbow facing the TV. She had a bowl of popcorn halfway gone. She popped them into her mouth one by one. Her hair was French braided with strands of hair down the sides of her face, acting as light bangs. The contrast between her white hair was neatly woven against her black hair. 

Eretria grabbed a sandwich from the top of the stack and a bottle of orange juice. "Scary movies before sleep?" She discarded the zip-lock bag and bit into the sandwich. Ham and cheese. She leaned over the counter and tried to figure out which movie Crista was watching. 

"Definitely." She popped another piece of popcorn into her mouth, not taking her eyes off of the movie. "Care to watch?" 

Eretria shook her head as if Crista could see her. "Nah. I'm good. Not trying to get another nightmare here." 

Crista sat up and looked back for a second to make eye contact with the rover. "Oh right. We can watch Shannara Chronicles if you want?" 

"Oh! I have a huge crush on the main character!" Eretria said with vivid eyes. 

Crista looked back again and raised her brow.  
"He is cute…" 

"I wasn't talking about him." Eretria replied with a small smirk. 

Crista stared at her blankly and ate another piece of popcorn. "Oh, that's cool. I've had a crush on a girl once. For me personally though, it just depends on your soul." 

"Pansexual?" Eretria finished her sandwich with an inquisitive face.

"You could say that." Crista's attention was turned back to the movie. "So Shannara Chronicles?" 

"Nah. Another time. I need to get some shut eye." 

"Alright." Crista's bowl of popcorn was almost gone. 

The stars above her room were clouded from the rainstorm. She plopped herself flat against her bed, thinking of the day. After the kiss, something changed between her and Amberle. Neither knew what that was. The walk back to the palace dorms was silent. Smiles and awkward glances were thrown each other's way but no more than that. 

She turned over on her side and stared at the wall. All that was there was the digital clock, a nightstand, and her bag, still soaking wet on the floor. One look at her bag and she just remembered something. She didn't get the chance to give Amberle her notebook back.  
Her mysterious purple notebook that she carried around every class. The only thing she carried at all. 

Eretria wondered what was written in the enigma of a book. Was it really just for class? Her curiosity got the best of her and she pulled herself off of her bed and walked over to her bag. She kneeled down and opened it. There it is, sheltered and dry. She lifted it into her hands. It was thicker than she had realized. Purple leather… it had it's own bookmark attached to the bookend. She traced her fingers above the surface of the front cover. It had engraved swirls for design. At the corner read : Amberle. 

She felt the ridges of the paper, it was also thicker than she had thought with a tinted shade of yellow. Similar to the pages of a really old book at the back of a library. She has never actually seen Amberle open up this notebook and the urge to take a peek strengthened. Her thumbs itched at the edges of the notebook. If she opened it, would the Princess know? Eretria sighed and placed the notebook back into her bag. Now would not be a good time to mess things up, she thought. Even if Amberle would never find out, she respects her privacy too much. 

Thunder roared from above as Eretria snuggled herself back under her blanket. She gazed above and saw flashes of lightning. The storm was still raging? It seemed to relax her and it didn't take long before REM took her in. 

…

She woke up the next morning with moist palms. Another nightmare. Though this one was not as nearly as bad as the first. Crista, who didn't burst in to save her life was proof of that. She looked at the digital clock. It was only 6:17AM. Class doesn't start for another hour and twenty minutes. She sighed and pinched the middle of her nose. Was she traumatized? She threw the cover of her blanket off and walked out into the bathroom.  
Crista was nowhere in sight. This dorm was pretty quiet she thought. She washed her face and looked into the eyes of her reflection. What is going on Eretria? Why am I so vulnerable all of a sudden? These were the two most annoying questions she kept asking herself. She continued her routine until she was all set to go. Her braids in place, her leather jacket all dry, and she even replaced her still soaking bag. 

BzzzBzZ 

Her phone vibrated just as she was about to leave.  
It was a text from Wil. 

"Mornin' Rover!" -Wil 

"Sup' Short Tips?" -Eretria 

"Amberle asked me to ask you about her notebook?" -Wil 

"It's safe with me. Returning it to her in Criminology."-Eretria 

" Alright. It sucks that we don't get to walk together anymore. You know, you staying in the palace dorms… on the other side :( " -Wil 

"Aww you miss me already??" - Eretria 

"Of course. See you at school? Headed there now." - Wil 

"Same. See ya." -Eretria 

She locked the door behind her and greeted the two guards. The green hall of the palace dorms was as busy as it was when she first got here. Familiar people pass by as Eretria is subconsciously learning their faces. 

"Eretria!" A voice shouted from a few feet behind her. 

Eretria stopped frozen. Her heartbeat sped up in an instant. She turned around and smiled at Amberle with an inevitable blush. 

"Oh. Mornin' Princess." Eretria bit her lip. 

They stood awkward for a couple of seconds. Amberle rubbed her arm subconsciously while Eretria gripped the straps of her bag. 

"Did you get a good night's sleep?" Amberle finally asked.  
Something was different in her eyes and Eretria couldn't tell if that was bad or good. 

"Umm yeah. Never better," She lied. "How about you? Oh let me get your notebook." She shuffled her bag open for the leather notebook. 

"Did you… did you read it?" Amberle questioned sincerely. 

Eretria's mouth twitched and she looked into the Princess' eyes which told her she was unsure if she would believe her regardless. Eretria suddenly felt really guilty for even thinking of opening it. 

"Of course not. Honestly, I was tempted but I didn't. Read what was inside it I mean." She handed Amberle her notebook and the Princess acquiescently took it. 

She surveyed Eretria for a moment, looking for some truth. "Right." She looked down, holding her notebook close. " So I'll see you in class? I have to get some business done?" Amberle's face struggled with a smile. She was fighting back something. 

"Yeah. Sure. I have to meet up with Wil anyways." Eretria gave her a half-smile and they turned en route to their separate directions. 

Did something happen with Amberle? Was the kiss they shared volatile? Or does she think that she read her notebook? Something felt way off. 

…

"So about that kiss…" Wil spoke while they walked around the fountain in the courtyard. 

Eretria's eyes went wide. "Wh-what kiss!?" 

"What else? The one you planted on me in class yesterday." A smile was creeping up on his face. They stopped circling the fountain and sat down. 

Eretria was relieved and sighed. "Oh…right. What about it?" 

"That was our first kiss!" He laughed and Eretria gave him a smirk. 

"Don't get any ideas Short Tips. It was nothing more." 

"Oh I know it was nothing more." Wil chuckled. "I learned that you and I aren't compatible a long time ago." He gave her a sincere smile. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" She laughed and punched his arm lightly. 

"Anyways, I have a huge crush on Amberle, and like you said, I should be confident in myself." He held himself up by leaning on his hands at both sides of himself. He stared in a direction in front of them. 

Eretria's heart stopped. Her face flustered at the thought of him and Amberle together. That's right, she pushed him towards her. Although it was good intentions before, she knew something was brewing up between her and Amberle, yet she still gave Wil the confidence to ask the Princess out. Somebody here is going to be heartbroken one way or another. She put this on herself she thought.  
She found herself struggling to look at him, jealousy blazing inside, no… not even jealousy. She felt a sense of clingliness having already beaten Wil to Amberle. Sort of. 

The bell rang and other students started packing their things. The clouds were dark gray and the sun was barely visible. The air was chilly and Eretria had to rub her arms to generate a little heat. 

"Well. Good luck in Crim!" Said Wil obliviously. 

Eretria didn't respond and instead gave him a curt nod. Her mind is clouding with questions. What should she do? She'd hope she'll find some answers sooner or later. These feelings, lust and confusion is all new to her. All her life she has never even felt empathy for that matter.

As she made her way to class, she slowed to a stop as she noticed a guy staring at her. He stood in one place across the lobby. It was Bandon. He had a transgressive look on his face. Other students passed in front of them, but he was unfazed. She shook her head at his weird exchange and continued on to class. Whatever the reason he was looking at her that way for didn't matter to her right now. 

As she walked into class, Prof. Reiner was already writing on the board. She spotted Amberle sitting straight with her hands clasped. The Princess met the Rover's eyes and smiled slightly. Though, Eretria could feel her shift next to her as she sat in her seat. They didn't speak much the whole class. Prof. Reiner had them write down some of the basic laws of Arborlon. 

Eretria felt confused and a little rejected when she eventually realized that Amberle was giving her the could shoulders. Amberle had not once looked into her eyes, but when she didbby accident, her cheeks turned pink. That confused Eretria even more. 

At the end of class as the students gathered their things to leave, Eretria eyed Amberle curiously. There was something in those green eyes that had worry in them. She was perturbed. 

"Amberle…" Eretria spoke gently. 

Amberle looked down on the table in front of her as she stood up. 

"I'll see you later okay?" Amberle said, her expression dulled.  
She grabbed her notebook and exited the room. Eretria sighed and exited without protest. She dodged other students in the hall before she got a glimpse of Amberle's purple armor way ahead. She must've been in a hurry. She couldn't help but feel as if she was avoiding her. Maybe their kiss told Amberle that she didn't feel anything after all. 

Eretria walked towards the gym feeling like she's lost a war. 

"Hey, are you okay?" A low voice spoke next to her. 

"Oh hey, sort of." Eretria responded as the walked to the bleachers. "Why don't I ever catch you in the morning?" 

"I'm usually up a little earlier. I like the dawn. It's my favorite time of day." Crista studied Eretria's face as if she already figured out something was bothering the Rover. "Are you going to be participating today?" She asked Eretria. Prince Ander had started running swimming drills. 

"Maybe not today. I'm excused for the whole week and I'm not about to let that opportunity get away." Eretria said, leaning forward on her knees. 

"It'll be good to exercise your lungs." Crista replied. She ran her hand through her hair, parting it to one side loosely. Her white locks seem to be getting thicker. Almost half of her hair was white now. 

"Thanks for your concern Your Majesty, but I'll fully recover in no time." She leaned back next to Crista.  
"Hey, you're Amberle's cousin right?" She nibbled her bottom lip. 

"The Princess?" Crista turned to look at Eretria and tilted her head. "I am." 

"Are you close to her?" Eretria finally got herself to look into Crista's blue eyes, she found it difficult to speak about the Princess to anybody else besides Wil. 

"She's been kind to me as I have been to her. We haven't exactly grown up together, having so many years lost." 

Eretria nodded her head. She understood that Crista spent so many years in the orphanage.

"Although I do know that she and I have one thing in common that brings us closer." Crista continued as she gazed her crystal blue eyes into Eretria's brown eyes. "We're both orphans." 

"Actually… that makes the three of us." Eretria's jaw tightened at the thought of Cephalo calling himself her father. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Crista observed Eretria as if a new light had sparked. 

"It's all good." Eretria waved a hand in the air. "It's not like I go around advertising that I'm an orphan to everyone." 

"Alright! Everyone besides Eretria please go and change into your swimwear. We'll run a few exercises before we take a break." Prince Ander said rubbing his hands together. He nodded at Eretria for acknowledgment. 

Without saying another word to Eretria, Crista got up from the bleachers and walked with the rest of the class to the locker rooms. Prince Ander had his hands clasped behind his back holding a clipboard as he walked over to Eretria, who was still sitting. He even walked like royalty, Eretria thought. 

"How are you feeling Eretria?" He asked her.  
His posture was straight, and his chin was raised. He reminded Eretria of Amberle. Indubitably royalty. 

"Besides falling behind on schoolwork? I'm doing quite alright for a Rover." She replied, expressing little enthusiasm about herself. 

"Come on now Eretria, don't bewail yourself like that! Improve your metacognition and maybe you'll start to register your true merits." He placed a foot on the bleachers and leaned forward on his knee.  
"Arborlon University isn't the type of school that focuses on grades. And being one of the people that put this school together, I can actually tell you this in truth. Our purpose is to allocate our people and yield their best skills. To bring the best out of someone. Even if they're a terpsichorean or an aesthetic artist." He said, his eyes fervent. Stood up straight, and looked at his clipboard. 

"You're excused so you may leave, but I suggest you use your time wisely." He displayed his white teeth with a smile as he turned around and walked out towards the swimming building. 

Eretria sighed and grabbed her bag. As she stood up, she caught a glimpse of someone standing still at the corner of her eyes. It's Bandon again! He's dressed in gym apparel, but his eyes are set on Eretria. He's holding the gym door open for his fellow classmates but Eretria knows better. Something is up with him. 

With the uneasiness she felt, she walked out of the building and thought about what she should do with the time given to her. That guy is getting creepier by the second. She shook the image of his belligerent eyes away and thought about Prince Ander's speech. That was a bit overdramatic she thought. But still, it got her engines running. 

The words 'aesthetic artists' popped up in her mind and she found herself wandering to the SouthWest Wing where the Art Gallery is. Wil wanted to go there together, but she couldn't think of anything else to do. There were only a few other students walking around the halls and Eretria thought the lack of chatter and conversations was relaxing. 

The Art Gallery was quite huge and some of the structures and paintings emanated a feeling of anachronism. There were large paintings and small ones. The structures were strangely unusual but beautiful.  
One structure in particular caught her eye. It had a total of four silver figures and was a display of it's own. One figure was a woman who was on her knees with one palm reaching out for something in front of her while her other was gripping her heart that was falling out of her open chest. Tears ran down her silver face. In front of her was a man who had his hands to his face which was contorted with more tears than the woman. This must be who she was reaching for, Eretria realized.  
His left hand wore a ring. Her husband. The other two silver figures were smaller and were attached in place on the sides of the man, like they were melted out of him and frozen. They seemed to be copies of the man, but instead the one on the left had bottles and glasses of alcohol with a drunk face. The one on the right had a needle going through his arm with a rubber tied around his bicep, his head tilted all the way to the back and vains visible everywhere.  
The name of the structure was "CONTRITE".

Eretria continued on in the Art Gallery. She stopped at an unusual painting. Other paintings were food to the eyes, flowers, sunsets and landscapes, but this was something offsetting. It displayed a fluffy, white cat in the dark. It's eyes were bright and red, but those weren't the only pair of eyes depicted in the painting. In the corner of the dark, was a face, barely visible, but wasn't blind to the eye. It's eyes were bright yellow and red. 

Eretria couldn't tell what it was about the painting, but it made her feel uneasy. There was no name or title on the painting. With that, she exited the Gallery and made her way back to the main hall. She rubbed her temple, feeling a light headache when she accidentally bumped into someone. 

"Sorry! It was my fault, I was in a rush." Said a hurried female. Her hair was wavy and red. She was wearing a white dress with matching high heels. "Oh, Eretria, correct?" 

Eretria recognized her as Kate. Morgan and Crista's friend. She realized that Kate seemed to be hurried as the girl's eyes kept darting around as if she was looking for somebody. 

"Kate right? Are you okay?" Eretria's forehead furrowed. 

"Yes actually. Thank you. I'm just supposed to be meeting somebody." She looked at Eretria. Only then did Eretria realize the emotion portrayed on Kate's face.

She noticed that the red-haired girl's gray eyes looked like they've been swimming with tears. She could see red on the rims of her corneas. Sadness has clouded her features. Although her wavy hair was perfectly in place and her clothes were immaculate, she could tell that Kate was in a state of emotion all on her own. 

"Umm..." Kate pursed her lips and looked down. "So have you heard of Morgan yet? I'm sorry for what happened to you by the way." She looked off into the distance.

"I haven't seen her since I was in the hospital." Eretria observed Kate. "Last I heard she was being examined." 

Before either of the two could say anything more, an elderly man walked out into the hall. He had a pair of glasses and a long white coat. A doctor Eretria figured. 

"Ms. Lierstrom. I have the documents that need to be signed." He held two folders visibly thicker than the one Kate was holding. 

Kate gave Eretria a fake smile and a curt nod. "If you'll excuse me." 

Eretria couldn't help but feel a little curious about what was going on with Kate. She cursed her curious mind because she knows its none of her business. She watched as Kate walked with the Doctor down the hall and into another. 

…

 

"I'm so sorry Ms. Lierstrom. I know you've been working hard to keep her well." 

Kate wiped her tears away from her eyes. The tears had stained her folder and her dress. They stood outside a door, a door that Kate had dreaded seeing every day for the last 10 years of her life. 

"Your parents would have been proud." The Doctor gave her a sincere smile. He placed a hand on her shoulder. 

"If they knew how well you provide for you and Riley, straight from poverty to riches, they would not believe it!" His eyes gleamed but saddened quickly. "I'll leave you to it then. Are you sure you don't need help packing her medical instruments?" 

"It's alright Doctor. Thank you." Kate sniffled. 

As the Doctor left, Kate grabbed hold of the door knob. She stayed in place for a minute, leaning her head against it. Tears dripped onto her hand. Just as her heart breaks every time she opens this door, it breaks once again. 

A younger girl lays in a medical bed with breathing tubes up her nose. Bruises on her arms are visible from withdrawing blood. Dark circles surrounded her eyes, and her lips were dry and unusually pale. Her long red hair was braided in two and lay on the sides of her body. 

"Will I be moving again?" She asked with a weak but graceful tone. 

Kate sat in the chair beside the bed. "Riley, it looks like I'll be taking you home." She took her sister's hand and held it tight.

"I can finally do whatever I want?" Riley asked. 

Tears brewed a storm in Kate's gray eyes as she nodded her head.

"The Doctors say it's time to let you enjoy life." Her face tried to smile for Riley but instead showed evident despair. 

"Be happy sister. The burden will be lifted soon and all the extra medical bills can finally stop." She smiled, cracking her lips. Her eyes gleamed for the first time in a long time. And the reason for her smile broke Kate's heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a late update! I've been taking time to improve my vocabulary and plotting.


	10. Misunderstandings and Wrong Decisions

*munch* 

Wil stared at Eretria as she bit into a sandwich. They decided they didn't want to eat in the cafeteria today and instead, go for a little walk. 

"Boy, it sure is chilly today." Said Wil as he rubbed his hands together for some heat. "Out of all the delicious food in the caf, you settle for that?" 

Eretria swallowed before she spoke. "Says the one that isn't eating at all." She crumpled up the wrapper that the sandwich was in. 

"You got me. I'm just not hungry today." He shrugged. 

The cold breeze blew into Eretria's face and she could feel herself shiver. She had a sudden desire for a hot bath all of a sudden. Lunch had just started, but she wishes it would end so she could get the day going. The sooner the better, she thought. Outside, students were engaging in the usual. Outside lunches, some were playing football, some were already dozing off.   
Eretria and Wil reached the Ellcrys, Wil accepting the fact that this is where Eretria obviously wants to spend lunch time. 

"This tree never gets old!" She exclaimed, closing her eyes and sinking to the grass with her back against the Ellcrys. 

"Literally." Wil smiled as he sat in front of her. "So how was gym?" 

"Ehh. It was unproductive. For me anyways. I was excused, so I did some exploring." She thought about the Contrite exhibit and how depressing it was. Then she remembered the odd painting with the cat in it. And Kate... 

"Hey,.." Eretria said perturbed. "You know who Kate is right? 

Wil looked at her as if thinking, what an odd question. " Hmm…" He tapped a finger to his chin. "Morgan's friend?" He raised a brow questioningly. "Why do you have a thing for her?" He smiled deviously. 

Eretria narrowed her eyes and aggressively punched his arm. "No! I bumped into her today before lunch, but something seemed so off. She's usually so… lively." 

"Well she's hot." Wil responded realizing Eretria was serious. "Okay, sorry. I like someone else anyways." He turned his head to look around him, hoping to catch sight of the girl he liked. Eretria knew very well who he was looking for. She rolled her eyes and sighed. Amberle had been acting strange since she gave her notebook back. Eretria felt ignored the whole day. 

"About that," the boy continued. "Do you still think I have a chance with her?" He said with his cheeks turning red. Eretria's heart stopped. No is what she wanted to say. She felt an overwhelming and unnecessary feeling of selfishness. But then she thought of the way Amberle has been acting, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt hurt and rejected. She felt jettisoned. 

"Yeah, definitely. You should ask her out today." Eretria heard herself say. More words kept forming and she couldn't stop them from coming out. "The sooner the better, she won't stay single forever you know." 

Wil exhaled nervously. This is the Princess they're talking about, and to think he has a chance that not everyone has is absurd. 

"Okay." He finally said and Eretria's heart sunk. "I'll do it the next time I see her." Eretria smiled, a smile so fake, she almost admitted it. 

 

*snap* The tip of Amberle's pencil snapped against her notebook. She clenched her jaw at Eretria and Wil's conversation, but mostly at Eretria's responses. This is the second time they didn't know that she was on the other side of the Ellcrys. She's starting to realize that this isn't just her hang out spot anymore and that eavesdropping is wrong, but she can't help it. She closed her notebook and sighed. 

…

The bell has rung and everybody has gotten to their classes. Eretria felt nervous, knowing that Wil and Amberle will both be in the same room. The convoy that she and Wil has built up a horrible feeling.   
She and Wil sat down, Wil seemingly searching for the Princess while Eretria secretly wishes that she wouldn't show up. 

Her wish was not granted.  
A speck of white moved within her peripheral vision. The Princess walks to her seat greeting people with hellos and smiles, never once glancing in Eretria's direction. Wil sits up straight, with his face lit red and eyes glued on Amberle. 

"Alright, everyone settled yet?" Allanon walks in with a hurried motion. He lifts a clipboard and searches through a couple of pages. "With your acting placements last class, I was up all night determining your roles for the upcoming play. Now please remember that this is not solely an acting class, but rather to test your judgement and decisions, through charisma and chemistry. Because in this kingdom, we are built to understand each other and to do that, we experience all possible routes of emotion, setting ourselves in the shoes of many different lives and so forth." After that mouthful, he paces slowly, looking at the class, feeling pleased with his speech. "Now with that, I have the synopsis of the play in my hands. A few friends of mine wrote it. Zeara was saved miraculously by Trex, a girl who mysteriously appears time and time again wherever Zeara goes. Zeara starts noticing the girl, and confronts her, they become friends and fall in love, only to find out that Trex is not a real person." 

Allanon pauses to see his students looking at one another. 

"Now the protagonist was intended to be male, but I changed it accordingly to the two people in this class with the best chemistry." He put his hands behind his back and stepped in front of Amberle. "Princess, you will be Zeara. And your savior.…" he then looked up to Eretria's eyes. Eretria realized what was going on and slowly sunk in her chair. She smacked a palm to her forehead. "Eretria." He smiled, confident in his decisions. 

Amberle exhaled and gave a sideways glance toward Eretria, but she was too busy massaging her head to notice. 

Allanon read the next positions of the other students, making sure everyone has a part. Over the next couple of minutes, they fussed about their parts, some excited and some uncomfortable. 

"Wow, so you're the lead." Wil said turning to Eretria.   
He had a disappointed smile. "I guess Sir Allanon saw the chemistry you have with Amberle." 

"Yeah, the exploding kind that cause destruction." Eretria shook her head. She noticed a guy, the same tall guy with the nice hair and teeth that was talking to Amberle the other day. He seemed frustrated at Allanon's decision to make a female lead in place of a male. He looked at Eretria straight in the eye and shook his head. Eretria felt pissed off and dissgusted. 

Allanon waved a hand to the student as he told him to take a seat. The student walked back to his seat next to Amberle a little frustrated, veins bulging out of his neck with his clenched jaws. Allanon started passing out thick clips of paper. 

"Please read through your lines and practice with somebody. Princess Amberle, please pair up with Eretria." Allanon nodded to Amberle and sat in his desk, scribbling on a notepad while fixing his glasses. 

Amberle stood up, her white cape swaying with her motion. She turned to face Eretria with a straight face. Eretria looked into her green eyes as the Princess lifted her chin, motioning Eretria to come to her.   
Eretria sighed and gave Wil one last glance before he started looking for a partner. As she stepped closer to the Princess, her heart was skipping beats. The intensity only grew as she stepped in front of her. 

"Hey." Eretria spoke, trying to break the ice.   
"Alright so where do we start?" Amberle rose a brow, with her posture straighter than ever as she looked from Eretria to the pages of the script. She's wearing some kind of mask, Eretria thought. She has her guard up. 

"I guess we should just look through the script first and get familiar with it." Eretria shrugged, shaking off Amberle's glare and flipping through the pages.   
"Huh?" Eretria narrowed her eyes. Her face was flushed. 

"What is it?" Amberle asked with a stern voice. 

"This,… is a romance? Did you read through this?" Eretria looked up at Amberle with red cheeks. 

"No, the class was the same as I, presented with a brief summary of what it's about. Why?" She narrowed her eyes, breaking her stance. 

"Umm... You should just read through it." Eretria showed her some of the pages that she was flipping through. 

Amberle's eyes went wide, a hint of red went through her cheeks and her ears were hot pink, excluding the tips which were armored with a pretty metal. 

"I need to speak with Allanon." The Princess turned around and started walking to Allanon. 

"Why?" Eretria asked before Amberle could take another step further. "Is there something so wrong with this?" She snapped. 

Amberle didn't respond but instead clenched her jaw and folded her arms. Her engines were running but no words came to form. 

"Look," Eretria stepped closer. "I don't know what's going on in your head, but I don't like this feeling of being….abandoned. I mean you leave me with nothing to work with. I had such a great time the other day and I'm starting to think that it was the same for you." She exhaled at the end of her outburst, afraid of Amberle's response. 

"Good job ladies!" Allanon interrupted before Amberle could speak.   
"I knew I made the right choice selecting you two as the leads. Such passionate acting skills Eretria!" He smiled as he patted Eretria's shoulder with pride. 

As he walked away, Amberle looked into Eretria's eyes with a face that was hard for Eretria to place. But as she opened her mouth to speak, she was interrupted once more. 

"You know Sir Allanon is right!" Wil said exuberantly. "You're getting better and better Eretria!" Eretria rolled her eyes. Wil started blushing, turning to face Amberle. 

"Ummm... hey Princess, I was wondering…" His eyes darted from Amberle to Eretria, looking to his friend for some kind of encouragement, but instead found her eyes to the ground. Her heart was racing, she just remembered that he mentioned asking her out the moment he gets the chance to. But her heart races mostly because this could be the answer to her questions. If she declines, that will tell her that there was something there when they kissed, and that maybe something more. However, if she accepts, it could be a sign of her moving on as if she discovered there was no true feelings between them. 

Wil continued, rubbing his neck with nervousness. He is asking out a Princess, after all. "If you would like to go out sometime?" His blue eyes were full of hope and worry at the same time. 

Amberle stiffened, she glanced at Eretria for a second. Eretria looked off somewhere in the distance, as if drifting off to space. She gave Wil a small smile. "Sure, I'd like that." Wil's face lit up.

Eretria was torn.

"Yes!" He said out loud. Apparently he didn't intentionally mean to exclaim it out loud because he immediately blushed with embarrassment. "Alright, umm.. I'll see you later?" He trembled with nervousness. 

Eretria left the two to grab her bag and leave. Amberle watched from a distance as Wil stared, excitement permanent on his face with a little bit confusion for his friend. 

She'll probably be in trouble for leaving class without notice, but she didn't care. She felt her heart breaking and the sudden urge to break things. She walked back to the palace dorms, planning on making no stops. When she reached her destination, locking the door to her and Crista's dorm, she sunk against it. She buried her face in her arms and knees and sighed heavily. What is wrong? She kept asking. If only she kept her guard up, then she wouldn't be heartbroken in the first place. 

She felt a hand placed gently on her shoulder. Freaked out, she looked up to see who it was. Crista, even though her face was straight, Eretria could feel her worried emotions poured on her. The Queen of Trio offered her hand to Eretria and she took it. As she stood up, she noticed something different about Crista. Her hair was still black with a whole lot of white locks. Her eyes! Before, it was crystal blue, now one was completely bright gold like the burning sun, but a tad shade darker. Her other eye was still blue, but the gold was starting to form, invading what was left of the disguise spell. But that wasn't the only thing that was different, her skin was glowing! She could see it light up everything around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a long wait! This chapter felt a little too short for me, however; I know I would've ended up making it too long if I didn't cut it short. More to come soon!


	11. Someone Else In Mind

"Are you alright?" Crista asked. Eretria is never surprised at how soothing Crista's voice is. Like a magical charm that somehow heals stress.

Eretria was however distracted by Crista's glow that is very visible to the naked eye. It made her seem somehow… divine.

"Uhh yes." She shook off her trance. "Thank you."

Crista turned around and sat at her computer desk. She started clicking on pages about health care and medicine.

Eretria dropped her bag on the floor and plopped herself onto the couch as if it were a bed. 

"Hey, why are you not at class?" She asked, realizing the time.

"Grandfather gave me privileges." Crista answered, turning around to face Eretria. "I'm the Queen of Trio and he makes sure that he doesn't forget it. Though he is King Eventine," she looked down to her hands and started twiddling her fingers, "I don't feel as disciplined as Amberle, or Morgan for that matter." She looks back to Eretria, who has now lifted her head somewhat to meet Crista's eyes.

"He said if ever I have plans to rebuild my lost kingdom, he will support me, as did the Kingdom of Arborlon for Trio."

Eretria sat up straight, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "Well, I'm glad he's willing to. I'd like to see your kingdom rise again." She looked into Crista's eyes with a seriousness Crista hasn't seen before.

Crista gave her a small smile. "For now, I've decided it's best if I use my abilities for their true potential."

Eretria tilted her head as if signaling Crista for more info.

"Ever since I woke you from that nightmare..." "Saved!" Eretria interrupted.

Crista nodded. "Right, well seeing the impact I've made on you, I began to wonder what I can actually do to improve the lives of others." With a click of a button, she shut off the computer and stood up. There are many lights in their dorm, but with every passing second, her glow seems to intensify.

"Whether I'll be able to change the lives of others is not certain, I pray it'll be positive, whatever the outcome." She looks at Eretria one last time before walking toward her room.

"I think that's a great idea." Eretria turns around on the couch to see Crista, who was halfway to her bedroom door. She stopped to face Eretria once again.

"Your abilities, the way they affected me, if you're planning on helping others, I know damn well it'll be positive. Heck, it's way more than what I'd be able to do." She gave the Queen a smile before laying her head back on the couch. Crista returned the smile, though Eretria didn't get to see it. She was glad to have Eretria as a friend. 

…

The next couple of days have passed with nothing but avoidance and awkward conversations between Amberle and Eretria. The only time they ever really speak to each other is when they rehearse their lines during Drama class, in which they avoid their romance scenes purposely. And Wil speaking excitedly about his upcoming date with the Princess, which finally happens this coming weekend.

*BBbzzzZbbzzz*

It was 10am. Eretria looked to see who texted her.

"Hey Rover! I'm so excited for my date today! Sorry, I just had to txt some1! " -Wil

"Have fun short tips " -Eretria.

She threw her phone on the bed next to her, she knows she'll end up thinking too much about Wil's date if she doesn't do something today. Where they're going, what they're going to eat, if they'll hold hands, if they'll kiss. She got up and walked to her computer at that last thought. She didn't bother to remember any details of Wil's plans because that'll only unsettle her. 

She grabbed her bag and took out her notebook and started typing away at her computer while scribbling down some notes. If doing assignments helped occupy her mind, then she'll do it. Even if it's on the weekend and not due for another week. Who cares right? 

… 

She looked through her freshly written 7 page essay. She massaged her hand. Never had she written that much without stopping.

*grumble*

She picked up her phone. 2:48PM. 

Her eyes widened. Had it really been over four hours? Time sure has flown by, and now her stomach grumbles, reminding her that she hasn't eaten yet.

She sighed and got up, stretching her arms and feeling the blood rush through her body. She washed up before putting on her jacket and her boots. 

She decided to go out and get some fresh air and get something to eat. She grabbed her motorcycle keys. Crista wasn't around, not surprisingly. On her way out of the Palace dorms, she texted Wil.

"Please tell me you're not in town. I'm going out and I don't want to run into you guys and interrupt your date." -Eretria.

She continued outside to the student's vehicle lot. There it was, her motorcycle was untouched. Covered with a tarp, she removed it and placed it off to the side. It's been a while since she had driven her bike. The dorms were that far from school.

She traced her fingers down the body of her bike as if reminiscing. Her reflection shows clearly against the black and silver body. She straps on her helmet and starts the engine. Eretria has never missed any sound so much.

*Bbbzzzbbzz*

"No worries. Not in town." -Wil

Thank goodness Eretria thought. She wouldn't know how she would feel if she ran into the pair. She backed her motorcycle out, and started on her way into town.

....

"Wait, what? What do you mean?" Kate asked the doctor with worry. The bags under her eyes had not gotten any lighter. 

"Ms. Lierstrom, we've decided that we can try one last option before you take her home. If we amputate her legs, we may be able to cut off the harmful substances that are causing her life to be fatal." The doctor spoke while holding his clipboard. 

They were standing outside of Riley's room. There were boxes against the wall containing Riley's packed belongings. The only thing left to pack was Riley and her medical supplies, but now the doctor is saying otherwise.

"So you're saying there's a chance she may live!?" Hope gleamed in her gray eyes. A piece of her heart was lifted. 

"Please, Ms. Lierstrom. I advise you to not get your hopes up. This is merely experimental. This procedure is still a long shot and with your permission," he flips his clipboard to show a piece of paper containing paragraphs of info, "let's just say we hope that we'll gain something positive out of this." 

Kate looks at the paper. She skimmed through the agreement section and within less than two minutes, she signed it. She didn't really care what it said. If it was a chance for Riley to live, then it's a chance she'll be taking. She opened the door to Riley's room and peaked inside.  
Riley's face had grown paler, the oxygen tube was still running through her nose. Her long red hair was now loose of braids and straight compared to Kate's styled hair. She was sitting up, her legs covered and her nose buried in a book before she realized that Kate was looking at her. She looked up and smiled. 

"I've been waiting too long Katy! Please tell me we're ready." Her eyes were turning yellowish and in them, Kate could see that Riley was tired. Tired in a way that Kate almost feels sorry to have to put her through one last procedure. 

 

….

 

11:17 PM. 

Wil walked beside Amberle as they giggled on the way home. The sidewalks were lit by bright white lamps. Amberle held on to her black purse. She wore a black ballroom dress that was several inches above her knees, with a bow tied around the side of her waist. Wil wore a white button up shirt tucked into his slacks. 

"Well, that was something to remember." His face was exhausted with smiles, his hair a little scruffy.  
"I can't believe you did that!" He stuck his hands into his slacks as they slowly paced down the sidewalk to the dorms. 

Amberle let's out another laugh. "Hey, he had it coming. This was fun. Thank you." 

"No, thank you! I didn't think that you'd actually hang out with me." He smiled wide. "And thanks for the talks. I mean, I have Eretria for the talks but sometimes it's good to get a chance to talk to someone new, someone fresh."

"Well, I just hope that you find the one you're looking for." She put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a genuine smile. "I'm pretty confident you won't have any further trouble if you just be yourself. Take her dancing just as you did with me." 

They turned around a corner. As Wil was about to respond, they heard a rumble, the sound of a loud motor. They looked in the direction it came from, it was Eretria. Her helmet on, and an icecream cone in one hand partly melted, seeming as she couldn't eat it with her helmet on. 

"Is that Eretria?" Amberle asked as they see her park her bike. 

"Yeah, she didn't seem to notice us. Let's go say hi." Wil started walking in her direction but Amberle stopped him. 

Eretria got off her bike and took off her helmet.  
"Sh**." She said to herself as she struggled to eat her icecream. It got all over her hands. She grunted as she pulled the tarp over her bike and left, licking one of her fingers. 

"It's alright. I can say hello another time." Amberle spoke. She spoke to Wil, but her eyes wouldn't leave Eretria. There might've been a slight hoping for Eretria to look her way. But she didn't. 

"Oh okay then. Well I could at least walk you to your dorm." Wil looked a little tired, but he didn't want the night to end. 

"Alright, well just to the entrance. Then you may be on your way." Amberle smiled but she still looked towards Eretria's direction. Eretria had already disappeared into the dorms. 

"Sure thing." Wil gestured for her to lead the way. 

They walked the rest of the way to the palace dorms. It took no more than two minutes because Amberle had picked up the pace. They stopped in front of the dorms and Amberle turned to Wil. She kissed him on the cheek. 

"Thanks so much for today." Amberle said with a little haste. 

"Of course. Hopefully we could do it again! This time double dates, with a date of our own!" Wil gave a hopeful pink smile, blushing from Amberle's kiss. 

"Definitely!" Amberle couldn't help but think of Eretria. The only person that keeps clouding her mind when she thinks of date. She shook off the thought. And turned to enter the dorm as Wil turned to leave. 

The inside the great and green hall was pretty scarce of people. The butlers were still around, but just to deliver food to son of the rooms. A couple of people were walking by, looking like they just came from a party. One of the dudes was being kept upright by two friends.  
Although immediately her attention turned to a group of people that were in a verbal quarrel. 

Three guys and a female, looking like they came from the same party were standing in front of another female. Eretria. Her ice cream cone was smashed on the floor and her hands were in a fist. 

One of the guys was visibly drunk, although they all were, this one talked too much and held a half empty bottle in his hand. The other female tried her best to keep balanced on her heels while holding his arm. Not sure if she was trying hold him up or herself. 

"Hey you've made a f**king mess! Better lick that up boy! This place was walked on by royalty!" The drunk guy with the bottle spoke. 

Amberle could see his other friend, who was drunk too, hold up his hand apologetically to Eretria trying to justify his friends actions. Eretria held up an open palm hand and shook her head.  
Amberle couldn't tell the expression on Eretria's face because she could only see her back, but instead Eretria obtained a small towel from a butler passing by and started cleaning up the mess. The drunk group from the party started walking away. Amberle observed as she saw the same butler walk by her. 

"Excuse me." Amberle spoke, posturing herself. 

"Oh, forgive me My Lady. I did not see you there." He bowed down at the sight of royalty as they were trained to do. 

"Why are you not the one cleaning up that mess over there?" She nodded her head towards Eretria who was still cleaning it up. 

"Oh, please forgive me again My Lady. I insisted to clean but she requested me to let her do so. I didn't want to upset the young lady so I let her be." He shifted nervously while he held a tray of towels. 

"Alright. Thank you, you may be on your way." Amberle spoke with authority in her voice. 

The butler bowed one last time before leaving Amberle's sight. Amberle walked over to Eretria hesitantly. She gripped her purse a little tighter with both hands and her heels could be heard from down the hall. She exhaled for she didn't notice she's been holding her breath. Eretria slowly finished cleaning, realizing somebody is behind her. She stood up and as she turned around to see Amberle, her eyes widened and her cheeks turned hot pink.  
Amberle started chuckling.

"Oh uh, hey Princess." Eretria gave an awkward smile but couldn't look at Amberle in the eyes. She thought Amberle was beautiful in her dress, and she's only taken a glimpse at her. "So how was your date? I mean, don't answer that." She stumbled for words and she really didn't want to know what went on in their date. The ice cream stained towel in her hands had been twisted like the nervous wreck she is right now.

"What happened here? With those people?" Amberle held up her hand to try and conceal her smile. 

"Oh," Eretria waved them off as if swatting a fly, "it's nothing. Some punk ran into me, but I don't blame him. He was drunk." She looked to the side of Amberle, trying not to stare at her dress. 

"I heard him say some pretty nasty things to you." Amberle lifted a brow. 

"It's not like I was going to flip the guy for being drunk." Eretria responded. 

"That's so sweet." Amberle said, knowing that Eretria has a hot temper and would've flipped the guy anyways, but she didn't. 

Eretria tried to stray from looking at Amberle, however; she did it. Her eyes fell into the green whirlpool of Amberle's mesmerizing eyes. She couldn't break her stare. She was trapped once again. 

Until Amberle had broken into a full on laughter. Eretria tilted her head in confusion. She looked behind her and down the hall but nothing was there to laugh at. 

"You have, uh," Amberle spoke while gesturing to her face, "you have ice cream all over your face." She continued with a smile. 

Eretria lifted a couple of fingers to her face and felt the stickiness. Her face was red once again. This is embarrassing! She lifted up her towel to wipe her face but was stopped by Amberle's hand. She held Eretria's hand along with the towel while reaching up with the other. 

"No, let me.." Amberle spoke softly. She let her fingers touch Eretria's cheek. The sticky chocolate ice cream was all over her face. Abover her brow, covering her nose, streaking her cheek… under her lips. Amberle gently let her fingers wipe some of the ice cream away. Of course, she didn't want to use the towel that was used to wipe the floor. As she wiped under Eretria's eyes and around her cheek, she noticed that Eretria had even more redness hiding. 

Eretria slowly closed her eyes at the touch of Amberle's hand on her cheek. Her heart raced all the way around the three kingdoms. Amberle's eyes flickered down the the ice cream under her lips. 

This is odd but soothing, Eretria thought. The bad tension between them seems to have disappeared, but why? She literally just came back from a date with Wil. Wouldn't this be awkward for them? However, her rising questions soon faded away as she felt the soft and gentle contact of Amberle's lips just under hers. Their lips weren't in contact, but it was very, very close. A wave of butterflies fluttered through Eretria like a fire hungry for the forest.  
Amberle's hand was on her chin, and when her lips slowly departed, it felt like a century had passed. 

Eretria didn't want her to depart, but before she could open her to eyes to even begin to process what just happened, she tasted the sweetness of Amberle's lips on hers. She was ready to time travel for another century. The wildfire of butterflies? Now felt like it could never be tamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to say thank you to my beta reader :D And has anybody seen the casting for Season two of Shannara? I don't see Amberle. :(


	12. Two Types of Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being patient with me! :) Hope you enjoy!

"Wow, why hadn't I thought of this?" Amberle said while gazing up at the night stars through Eretria's sky dome. It was already past midnight and her heels were killing her from all the dancing.  
"The night sky is beautiful!" She sat on Eretria's bed and continued to smile at the bright stars glinting hundreds of miles away. 

"Just like you." Eretria spoke softly. Standing across Amberle. 

Amberle looked from the sky to Eretria. Her smile was gone but her face had an expressionless intensity. She locked her green eyes with Eretria's and dared not to blink once. What they're feeling right now is still something they're both a bit confused about. Of course, they both know how they feel about each other, but they've never felt this way before. Or maybe they have, and maybe they're scared becoming broken.  
The Princess snapped out of her daze as Eretria walked over to the bed and sat next to her. 

"Hey, you okay?" Eretria asked with a concerned tone.  
Amberle looked around before looking into Eretria's eyes once more. 

"Uhh yeah.." She placed her hand on the bed and accidentally touched Eretria's finger tips. They looked at each other, neither moving their hands. Amberle steadily moved her hand closer and Eretria let it happen. Their hands were now clasped as they both looked at their intertwined fingers. Such a little gesture, yet it gave them such huge sensations.  
The Princess gave a half smile, as if she just received some kind of confirmation and leaned in to close most of the gap between them. Their faces were now inches away and her eyes were half closed. 

Eretria placed her hand on Amberle's cheek and brushed away the Princess's wavy brown hair. She could feel her warm breath on her lips. She looked as Amberle closed her eyes and lifted her chin a little further, encouraging the Rover.  
Eretria's heart stopped. It's like the Princess gave her the key to the kingdom, only something much more beautiful.  
In the split of a second, Amberle pulled Eretria closer and kissed her hard. When she let go, Eretria was smiling big. "Sorry, you took too long." The Princess spoke. She gave her another light peck on the lips and turned away. 

"Listen,… I need to tell you something." 

"You can tell me anything." Eretria said, her face pink. Their hands were still locked. 

"Are you sure you haven't looked into my notebook?" 

Eretria stared for a couple of seconds. "That's what you wanted to tell me?" 

"Eretria…" 

"Princess,… I promise you that I didn't go through your notebook." 

Amberle looked suspicious for a moment, but finally gave in. "Alright. I supposed if you did, you would've besieged me with never ending questions." She rolled her eyes and smiled. She loved the idea of Eretria respecting her privacy.  
Amberle bit her lip in deep thought. After a couple of seconds, she let go of Eretria's hand and picked up her notebook. 

"Anyways, it shouldn't have mattered. I shouldn't have been dodging you for so long." 

Eretria's eyes were in relief. "Wait, that's what you avoided me for?"

Amberle slowly placed her notebook into Eretria's lap and sat up straight. Eretria lifted it, a little confused. 

"You're giving… me permission to look through your notebook?" She lifted it up. 

Amberle nodded. "I need for someone to know, and I need you to know." She folded her hands in front of her and sighed. 

Eretria gently opened the notebook, no questions asked. Inside, notes of everything. Amberle's penmanship was so neat, what was to expect of the Princess? She had notes of every class. The notebook felt a little thicker all of a sudden. How does it have so many pages? And how does she keep track of the the different notes? No tabs or anything.  
She then came across a little odd scribble. It was Eretria's name with a heart underneath. Eretria almost missed it, hiding at the corner on one of the pages. She looked up at Amberle and giggled. Amberle was a little confused. 

"What's so funny?" 

"This?" Eretria lifted the notebook so Amberle could see and laughed. 

Amberle blushed hard. "Oh.. Uh.. No.. I mean..."  
She couldn't finish her sentence and didn't bother trying. Eretria continued to flip the pages until she came across a drawing. It was a very skillful sketch of a mountain. The next couple of pages were several drawings of beautiful landscapes.  
Then she turned to something very strange. It was a drawing of a very creepy creature. It was a shadow in the dark, with smoke rising every where. The next page was the same. Another creature with wings. Eretria looked up at Amberle questioningly. She flipped the page once more. This one looked vaguely familiar. It was the picture of a cat. Fluffy, white, and red eyes. 

"Where have I seen this before?" Eretria stared at it, trying so hard to remember. 

"I take it you've been to the Art Gallery?" Amberle asked with hope. Hope for an unknown reason. 

"Uhh.. Yeah." Eretria recalled. The "Contrite" structure, the beautiful paintings, and the one odd painting with the cat and the strange set of red orange glowing eyes in the dark…. "Oh! Did you draw that?"

"I did..." Amberle looked down for a couple of seconds as if trying to form her next words carefully. "I've been ... having these weird visions. And I don't know what to do." She swallowed hard.  
Eretria set the notebook down to hold Amberle's hands. 

"What kind of visions?" She brushed Amberle's hair out of her face. 

"Visions of demons, creatures with wings, the Ellcrys burning…" Amberle's eyes were filled with terror. "People dying,… the cat! It shows up out of nowhere, I can't tell if its real or in my dreams, but it's everywhere!" She started breathing hard and stood up out of panic. 

Eretria stood up. "It's okay, I'm here!" She kissed her as she sat her back down gently. When their lips departed, she could feel Amberle relax a little. That seemed to put her at ease. "I'm listening, tell me everything." She felt that if Amberle could tell someone, the burden of carrying these nightmares/visions or whatever they were would be lighter. 

Amberle shut her eyes tight and let out a deep breath. "There's a demon that lurks in my visions. It tells me that they'll be here soon. I don't know who or what they are, but they show me the horrors of a place full of death." 

"So that painting in the Art Gallery…" 

"I purposely put it out on display to see if anyone would recognize it. I was hoping that if someone did, they would reach out to me. I was hoping that I wasn't the only one getting these recurring nightmares." 

"So they are dreams?" 

"No, I would like to think that they're just dreams, but they're not." 

"Does anybody else know about this?" 

"Nobody. I tried telling my Grandfather and my uncles, but they wouldn't take me seriously. I don't blame them, who would want to imagine the Ellcrys burning?" Amberle looked up at the night sky to regain composure. 

"Well…" Eretria started to speak until a knock on the door sounded. Amberle nodded. "Come in!" 

The door opened and Crista steps in slowly. The room was suddenly lit by her glowing skin. 

"Crista!" Amberle said with exasperation and got up quickly to hug her. 

"Are you okay?" Crista asked the Princess. "I felt you panicking earlier.." 

"I'm alright." Amberle looked at Eretria who wore a set of worried eyes. "I was just telling Eretria about this horrible nightmare I had the other night."

"Amberle.." Crista placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've been having nightmares every night." There was something about Crista, even though her face was expressionless, there was a sincerity in her pale blue eyes. Suddenly, a flash of gold formed a ring in the center of her eyes. It was bright, but it disappeared as fast as it formed.  
Seeing as there's no way to lie to Crista, Amberle's posture loosened. 

"You're right. I have." She looked back at Eretria. 

"Princess, you should tell her." Eretria spoke as she stood up and moved behind Amberle closely. She put her hands on the Princess's waist and rested her chin on the girl's shoulder. 

"Tell me what?" Crista asked. Amberle sighed. The rest of the night, she told Crista what she just explained to Eretria. Crista and Eretria hadn't known what to make of it. One thing was certain, these were no ordinary nightmares. 

….

 

The weeks go by fast. Amberle still has nightmares and visions and Eretria tries her best to comfort her by taking her out every other day and keeping her mind occupied. Each night they practice their lines for the play and focus on their class assignments. During Gym/Swimming class, Crista being a gold medalist in track, has been running the active field like a pro. Eretria has been more active too. They've been practicing the different types of swimming strokes plus what to do when you're stranded in the middle of the ocean with no boat. 

The sun was out and Eretria was on her way to the swimming building. She just came from changing in the locker room. To the left, she could see Crista standing on the side with Prince Ander, a whistle in her mouth and her hands on her hips. Half of the class was running on the track, and it seems that she is giving them tips and supervising. The other half of the class, including Eretria, was on their way to practice more swimming drills.

Grunts and the clang of blades can be heard from the combat field on the right. Eretria purposely slowed her walk so she could observe. It was Amberle's class. Sporting their white combat uniforms, (white longsleeves and white jeans) they were spread out in two teams, differentiated with a colored flag in the back of their pockets. Team Silver vs. Gold. Amberle, out of her usual Royal suit and wearing the same white tight uniform as the others, had a Silver rag. The only difference was that she was wearing the Royal belt buckle. 

It seems as Eretria was about to witness Amberle in action for the first time. The teams consisted of six people. Amberle was the leader of Silver, countering Lorin for team Gold. They stand across each other with their blades in their hands. They didn't have any armor on at all. Amberle gave a deathly stare and a devilish smile. Eretria's heart melted.

Just as the coach blew the whistle, they all sprinted with their swords up. Their swords were clanging pretty fast and loud, but Eretria's eyes were on Amberle. She hadn't thought of the Princess being a fighter, little did she know that she could move so strategically and effectively.

Of course, the first person that she parried was Lorin. Their blades clashed in X's. Lorin swung his leg low in a 360° but Amberle jumped high with her knee clashing against his jaw. He quickly rolled from his back onto his feet for a faster recovery, but Amberle was already hot on his heels. Before he could fully stand upright, she placed one foot on his knee and slammed her other to his face. A modified shining wizard? He flew to the side but couldn't recover. Amberle spun her sword as she towered over him. As she swung, another Gold teammate came and parried her off, defending Lorin. Confused, she looked at her smiling enemy. Did he already defeat his pairing? He swung his sword three times hard and fast but Amberle took huge steps backwards. He lunged forward and Amberle quickly sidestepped and redirected his sword by pushing it swiftly to the side. She spun as soon as her hands made contact with his swords hilt and ended up behind him. She got a hold of his gold rag threw it to the ground.  
"S%&$!" He exclaimed and kicked the dust. 

Amberle frowned at his language and was about to say something when she heard fast footsteps coming from behind her. The moment she felt the slightest tug on her rag, her hands reached behind her finding a wrist. She gripped hard and used her other elbow to connect with whoever's face it was. The grunting sounds heard afterwards were Lorin's. He lost grip of her rag but she didn't lose grip of his wrist. She twisted his arm and flipped him over. He groans in more pain as she deprives him of his gold rag. She smiles as she helps the rest of her team take out the last three people. Her team won with a total of two people standing last, including her. They clapped each other's backs for great teamwork. The other team were bummed, but they congratulated the victors anyways. 

"What did we expect from the Princess?" Lorin smiled, his face bloody, as he hugged her. Amberle smiled. The moment she spotted Eretria from far, her smile grew wider and she waved. Eretria smacked her forehead because she didn't realize that she's been watching this whole time. She waved backed as she rushed towards the swimming building. She is more than likely late! 

….

The Ellcrys is as beautiful as ever. Eretria wondered how none of the leaves have ever fallen in so many decades. Somehow, whenever she was near this beautiful tree, she could feel her heart pulsating more. Or is it because she's resting her head on the Princess's lap?  
Wil is as gleeful as ever. He has been taking his medical studies to another level. Volunteering at medical shelters and assisting doctors on simple cases, he even got an award for appreciation. Eretria can't help but think that he truly reminds her of someone, but she can't form a face. 

"Guys, I'm telling you! There are so many things I could do good with! If I collect the right ingredients and herbs, our healing rates could go through the roof!" Wil said jubilantly throwing himself onto the soft grass they were sitting on. 

"I'm really glad you're finally finding your purpose." Amberle said smiling. She was happy with where she is now. Holding Eretria's hand, enjoying active conversations with Wil, and pushing back the horrible visions she's been having.  
A huge burden has been lifted off of her shoulders. Somehow having somebody know about your troubles eases everything. It's like trying to carry three buckets of water with two hands, and Eretria is now there to help her carry the third. 

Eretria on the other hand, is holding a stomach full of fluttering butterflies, but too much PDA with the Princess seems to have it's consequences. Every once and a while, someone gives her the death glare. She can't seem to get anywhere without hearing someone snort at her, especially Bandon. He's been really off-putting lately it's hard not to notice. Luckily, she wouldn't give up anything in the world, because for her, Amberle is more than worth the unnecessary attitudes and jealousy people give her. They can't try to ruin her world right now because Amberle was her world. And she's perfect.

"You know Wil, I should introduce you to my cousin Crista. She's more than likely to see a friend in someone who is interested in helping others." Amberle smiled. 

"So that's who he reminds me of!" Eretria exclaimed, relieving herself of her thoughts. 

"You mean the Queen? I haven't actually met her so it would be a pleasure." Wil said smiling. He placed his hands behind his head as a pillow. 

The bell rang and they all got up to go to drama class together. Allanon had them practice their lines for the play on the stage. Production of the play is coming up soon. Some people are still upset that Eretria is playing the lead counter to Amberle.  
That evening, after Allanon dismissed them, Eretria and Amberle spent the night practicing their lines more in Amberle's dorm. 

"I… I can't believe it's been you all along…" Amberle turned her back on Eretria. "Of all the people around me… you!" She turned around with frustration in her eyes. She's really good at acting, Eretria thought. 

"Oh but you did know." Eretria's face was hard and sharp. She circled Amberle. "Our connection continues to run deep." She stopped in front of her. 

"You're right." Amberle put her hands on Eretria's cheek. "You were there for me all along." She kissed Eretria slowly. Eretria looked confused. 

"Umm isn't the kiss supposed to happen later?" She laughed nervously. 

"I can't help it." She rested both of her arms around the Rover's neck. "Your love is just too addictive." She kissed her again and Eretria can feel her smile under each and every kiss that follows. 

…

The next day, Criminology was uneventful as usual, except that Prof. Reiner gave the class a pop quiz and Amberle scored the highest in the class. Eretria was the fourth highest. When they moved on to the next class, she and the Princess kissed each other before departing.  
Eretria started feeling uneasy as she walked towards the locker room. They were scheduled for more swimming and track drills. She looked around cautiously, she could feel a set of eyes on her somewhere. Or maybe she's just imagining it? She sighed and finished changing into her swimming gear. (Tanktop and shorts) When she continued on her way towards the swimming building, she noticed that all her classmates chose to run the track. 

"Eretria!" Prince Ander waved over to get her attention. He shielded his eyes with his clipboard. "You're not going to run the track drill with us today?" 

"Nah! I figured I'd focus on one area at time coach!" She smiled, still walking. 

"Alright, we'll be here then!" He said then turned his attention towards the others.  
Crista was running with them, usually she's far ahead but it seems she slowed her pace so they could keep up with her. That's what a true leader should be, never purposely outshining everybody else. Instead, working hard to help and encourage others. She would make a great Queen. 

The swimming pool was empty. Nobody has turned the lights on yet and she didn't bother. She felt pretty relaxed this way and nobody else will be doing the swim drills, so she doesn't need it. The lights inside the pool were automatically on anyways.  
She set her towel down on a nearby bench. It was pretty quiet in here. She started to stretch with a warm up when she heard a noise coming from behind her. She turned around quickly but there was nothing besides a mop bucket in the corner, life jackets and a supply room. She stood silent for a couple of minutes before she stepped onto the edge of the pool. She looked down at the water. She could see her reflection, one sided braid, brown eyes and pale skin. Then she saw it. A figure behind her.  
She turned around again, this time she found her hand stopping a strong fist. The power from the punch has her staggered, even though she caught it. 

"Bandon what the hell!?" Eretria exclaimed. 

His ruffled hair was all messy, and she saw something horrible in his eyes. Retaliation and violence. He gritted his teeth angrily.

"Payback bi%&#!" He threw another punch but Eretria stepped back, she stumbled realizing she's stepping on the edge of the pool. She struggled to regain her footing when Bandon saw this as an opportunity.  
He kicked her ankle and it twisted horribly on the edge of the the pool. She yelped before he punched her face, sending her flying into the pool, but not before striking her head hard on the edge of the pool and metal railing.

Everything was quiet again after a minute. Bandon stared into rising swirls of dark crimson liquid inside the pool. This area of the pool was about 12 ft. By now, her body should've reach the bottom. Suddenly, he heard footsteps hurrying towards the entrance door. It sounds like more than four people. He quickly sprinted towards the back door hoping not to be spotted, but before he exited, he looked back one more time and smiled like a maniac. 

Eretria hasn't resurfaced.


	13. Smoke is Lust and The Past is Dust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Finally updated! Usually, my fiction chapters are averaged about 3k words, but this chapter is 6k+ so it's like two chapters put together. Anyways, hope you like it! Please comment your thoughts. :)

"Kate?" Riley opened her eyes. Where was she? Oh, right. She was supposed to spend the remainder of her life actually enjoying the things she would like to do, but for some reason she ended up back in the hospital. Kate explained the procedure and process to her. Riley got what they were trying to do, they were trying to rekindle some hope. But she wasn't ready for more false hope. She's been fighting for such a long time and her condition only seemed to worsen. What she was ready for was to leave peacefully, but Kate was fighting so hard for her to change her mind. So she agreed on the procedure for the sake of her older sister.   
It seems the procedure has already been done. Her eyes were still a little drowsy, and although it felt like she's only been asleep for a couple of minutes, it actually lasted for six hours.   
Her legs were now gone and white bandages were wrapped around her thighs. No more knee caps.

"Hey my love. You're finally awake." Kate walked over to Riley's hospital bed. It looks like her older sister had just woken up. Bags under her eyes, her red hair wasn't impeccable as it would be, and she was wearing a slightly more casual dress. She stroked her sister's cheeks and smiled, but the happiness that a smile should present was absent.

"Can we go home now?" Riley looked at her with a pale face. She gripped on to Kate's arms practically begging. She's so sick and tired of the hospital.

"We can go wherever you want to go." Kate kissed her on her forehead. 

….

The doors to the swimming building opened. Crista rushed in, Prince Ander and some of the other students followed through.  "Eretria!!" Prince Ander yelled out for her. "Crista.."

"Her heart rate is slowing!" Crista interrupted. Her eyes were flashing gold more frequent all of a sudden and her glow grew brighter. Some of the students couldn't help but pay more attention to her changing appearance than to what she was saying. Prince Ander was skeptical on how she would know the pace of someone's heart.

They scanned the area before spotting the swirls of blood in the water. "Eretria!" Prince Ander yelled again. They started rushing towards the other end of the pool, but Crista was quick on her feet and way ahead of them. She dove in without hesitation. Her glow was lighting up the pool even more than the pool lights were,  but the blood obscured the others view of what was happening.

"Uncle Ander!" A familiar voice called out to him.

"Amberle!" He turned around to see her gasping for air.

"What's going…on?" She stood upright before finally catching her breath. "I saw everybody running and I heard someone yelling."

Before Prince Ander could answer, a loud splash was hears. Everyone, including Amberle was surprised by the drastic transformation they were witnessing. Staring with eyes widened and some slacked jawes.

Silver wings spread as Crista bursted out of the pool with Eretria's limp body in her arms. Her wings flapped a few times, unaffected by the water, letting her hover over the pool to steady herself before landing on the cement. This made it hard for the bystanders to focus on the situation at hand. She placed Eretria down as quick and gently as she can. 

"Eretria!" Amberle rushed over in shock.

Eretria's head was bleeding from the top, her lips were losing color, and the side of her face had a tint of purple. Amberle knelt down and held her hand as Crista listened to her breathing, preparing for CPR.

"She has water in her lungs."  Crista spoke with assurance. She placed her lips on Eretria's lips and started forcing air into Eretria's lungs. She then placed both of her hands on the center of Eretria's chest and pushed down a few times. Amberle lifted Eretria's hands to her lips, begging her to be alright.   
Crista repeated the process one more time before water came rushing out of Eretria's mouth. She gurgled and coughed, and her lips were losing their blue tone.

"Oh! Thank God!" Amberle exclaimed, squeezing Eretria's hands tighter.   
Eretria looked around for a few seconds. Her breathing still unsteady, and the last thing she heard was Crista's voice.

"Get her to the….. …. a lo… blood!"

…. 

A striking headache pulsed its way from the front of her head to the back. Her eyes were still closed, but she could feel her right hand attempt to lift very slowly to her temple. She tried to massage it, but it felt strange. She realized that her head has been bandaged. She opened her eyes, adjusting to the familiar dim lights of the hospital room. She was in hospital robes, thick blankets covered her to keep her warm, and her left leg is in a cast hanging from a sling above her bed, elevated in a cast. She stared at her ankle for a moment, confused, before realizing that it's broken. 

"WHAT THE F&%+!!" She yelled with the aching muscles in her face. She lifted both of her hands to her elevated leg, shaking. "F#%@!" She threw her head back into her pillow in frustration and immediately regretted it. Her head ached so bad, and she doesn't even remember what happened.   
She flinched as a pair of hands gently took hers and intertwined their fingers. She wore a white jacket with black leather pants. It's the first time that Eretria has seen her out of her Royal Uniform, besides her Combat uniform.   
Amberle sat on her bed and gently planted a kiss on Eretria's cheek, but she let it linger. Eretria didn't mind. It made her feel better. As the Princess' lips departed, she looked into Eretria's eyes, their hands still locked. A sadness has overwhelmed her face. No words were spoken, but she knew Amberle was worried. Eretria placed a hand on the Princess' cheek and she traced her fingers along her jaw until she touched her lips with the very tips of her fingers. Her hand then found its way to the back of her neck, pulling the Princess down towards her. As she expected, Amberle's kiss definitely made her feel better. Its not that she couldn't feel her bones and muscles aching, it's just that Amberle's kisses were more than worth the pain.

But Amberle knew that she was in pain. She departed slowly, giving Eretria a small smile for her effort. "Even after you've been knocked out cold, you still insist on giving me your love and attention?" She joked.

"For you, anything." Her voice came out raspy and her lungs felt burned. She just now realized there's more physical damage than she thought.   
"What happened?" She asked.

Amberle looked at her in confusion. "I was just about to ask you the same. You don't remember?"

Eretria recalled being attacked by Bandon, but that was all. For a moment she hesitated if she should tell anyone. She was afraid if she told someone, Bandon would deny it and nobody would believe her.

"I need to get the Doctor. You might have a slight case of amnesia." She loosened her grip on Eretria's hands and stood up, but Eretria tugged her lightly.

"No… I remember. Bandon attacked me from behind." Eretria's body seemed to ache more at the memory of her being attacked.

Amberle had confusion worn on her face for a couple of seconds and Eretria's heart sunk.   
"Bandon? Are you certain?"

"Princess, I wouldn't lie to you. He's had it out for me for as long as I can remember."

Amberle stood silent for a couple of seconds. She chewed on her bottom lip before nodding as if thinking to herself. Her cheeks flared red, but she wasn't blushing.   
"Alright. I'll have the guards search for him. I'll bring him in for questioning immediately." She turned around but Eretria tugged her hand once more.

"And then what'll you do?" Eretria asked with a strained and worried voice. 

Amberle gripped Eretria's hand slightly for assurance. She leaned over and gave her a light kiss. "I believe you. I will get him to spill the truth. I promise."

She let go of her hand and walked out of the room. Eretria could her the rushing of her footsteps fading away,  but if she was truly listening, she would hear the Princess calling for other guards to follow her.

….

"I have so many questions for you!" Wil's eyes twinkled and his smile beamed bright.

He and Crista were walking around the palace dorms. After Eretria was escorted to the emergency room, Crista was bombarded with many questions about her wings and pretty much everything. But Wil caught her attention when the first thing he spoke to her about was how well her CPR performance was and how she handled it.  He wasn't there when she did it, but when he heard talks about what happened, and after he made sure Eretria was doing okay, he had to ask her about it.   
Her eyes were now a glowing gold, her skin illuminating the shadows around her, and her hair was now completely white. Though her wings weren't out right now.

"Like how did your eyes and your hair change? And where are your wings that everyone is talking about?" Wil asked exuberantly.

Crista walked slowly and calmly next to Wil. She's learned to be patient with so much questions, because after what's happened, people will be curious and want to know things. She gave a small smile and responded softly.

"I feel this hot energy coming from between my scapulas and my wings just sort of form from nothing." She slowed to a stop and turned around to show him first hand.

She wore a white half sleeve button up blouse with blue jeans. Her white hair was in a French braid. All that Wil was looking at for a moment was the shirt on her back. Then something started forming, little tiny sparks started circulating between her shoulder blades and out towards the rest of her back. Then he saw the transparent outlines of her silver wings forming. The tip of her wings started outstretching and solidifying until they were longer than her arms length. It was fervent with its glowing silver feathers, as if Crista herself couldn't shine brighter. Crista looked over her shoulder to catch Wil's flamboyant expression. She stretched her wings out further so he could feel her soft feathers. His blue eyes went wide with astonishment and she smiled.

Wil opened his mouth to say something but he was speechless. Her wings then disappeared the same way it formed. He felt a slight cold pressure from the wind that moment produced. Her wings were now gone and her clothing wasn't damaged.

"That's incredible! Maybe even more than my elf stones!"

Crista turned around and shook her head. "You are Shannara. The last Shannara to be known. That's incredible all on its own." Her low voice seemed to make its point across to Wil. He looked down as he blushed.

"Sooo…" he pulled his blonde hair behind his eyes. "your stories were true? Your eyes were never truly blue?"

"You are correct. I mean, I don't really know who I am." She narrowed her eyes and gave Wil a shrug. "But I knew that I was different. Growing up in the orphanage, and hearing stories about a missing baby... a baby Skytraveller to be exact… I didn't really pay attention to it." She stuck her hands in her pockets just like Wil and they continued walking until they stepped outside the palace dorms. The day was full of apricity. The sun was out but the wind was breezy.   
"But then I started feeling strange... whenever a friend of mine got hurt, I felt this ache. I couldn't explain it. When someone got an asthma attack, I could feel her running out of breath even while I was there breathing completely fine."   
They walked to the school courtyard. Students were doing their own thing, some occasionally glancing at Crista. She continued speaking as they walked towards the Ellcrys.   
"Someone in my age group suddenly went away." She paused for a second giving a lament stare into Wil's eyes. "And I don't mean he moved. He fell and hit his head. I followed him around after he got up because I felt awfully connected to him. I didn't even know him that well."

"What happened?" Wil said, his excitement now toned down.

"Not too long after, he collapsed. They took him to the hospital where he died." She pushed the few strands white hair that escaped her French braid away from her face. "They discovered that he was going through a lucid interval, but it was too late."

Wil had a sad expression. Crista stared at nothing in particular. Sorrow filled the glow in her eyes.

"After he was gone, I felt so drained. Maybe because there was all those people that I've been around for that long and it was one less heartbeat that I now felt." They stopped when they reached the Ellcrys. She looked up to the leaves moving with the wind. "I was just five years old at the time."

Wil stepped closer. He felt the need to comfort her, but he respected her boundaries too much.

"That's…crazy for someone so young to go through that." Wil said as he leaned against the Ellcrys.

"I didn't understand what I was going through. I thought that everyone felt the same. Until I hit puberty. My hair started changing, my eyes started glowing, and the search for the lost Skytraveller suddenly made so much sense for me." She leaned back on the tree next to Wil. She didn't see it, but Wil looked away, blushing. "It took a lot of courage to step forward and suggest who I really was, since I myself wasn't so sure. But the orphanage guardians agreed when they noticed the same changes that I did. So did King Eventine and everyone else."

Wil blew a breath he didn't know he was holding.   
"Wow. Me and you have a lot in common huh?"

Crista raised a brow. Her skin was glowing, adding to the sunlight seeping through the branches and leaves.

"I didn't know my father. I didn't know I was Shannara. My last name is Ohmsford from the small village of Vale." He shook his head and gave a small laugh. "The elf stones glow in my hands, but I don't believe that makes me special." He grinned widely at Crista and she couldn't help but smile back.   
"I do believe that I can change and save lives of those in need. I want to make the world a better place." He looked off in the distance and started daydreaming. "I think you're a great person Crista. What you did back there for Eretria only proves that your abilities are capable of doing those very things." He got off the tree and turned to her, folding his arms and smiling. "And from what I've heard, you've been studying medicine. So have I. We could learn from each other."

Crista looked at him. She thought about something that she's been wanting to do. King Eventine has given her permission to do so a long time ago, but something has been delaying her. There was something about Wil encouraging her to progress, to move forward even further. She has found a friend in Wil. And something about him makes it easy for her to trust him because he was right. They did have a lot in common and she did want to make the world a better place.

"Hey Wil, I will have two escort knights with me, but would you mind accompanying me somewhere?"

"Umm yeah of course." He gave a reassuring smile. "Where to?"

….

It was beginning to get dark. The sound of hoofs against dry mud could be heard as nothing was spoken on the long ride. Wil felt honored to accompany Crista to the Kingdom of Trio. Though King Eventine requested that she takes two escorts with her whenever she decides she's ready. She didn't really know why she felt the need to go there, maybe it was subconscious closure. Or maybe she just wanted to see the place where she was meant to be.   
They rode on four separate stallions. Wil had asked why she doesn't she just use her wings and she had to explain that she just got them and she will be drilling through flying exercises in the near future.

They came to a halt as the lead knight stopped in front of a huge torn-down stone structure. He turned to Crista and nodded. She acknowledged and dismounted. Wil did the same. The knights stayed alert, on their horses and faced the other way.   
Crista motioned for Wil to follow. They stepped over the entrance, or what was supposed to be the entrance. The walls had caved in and the ground was now littered with broken stone from the walls. They maneuvered themselves carefully, the castle was huge. It was deserted, almost nothing was salvaged. It made Crista very sad.  Wil hopped up to an area where they finally saw the ground. He held out his hand and she took it without hesitation. They walked deeper into the castle. The area was getting darker but her glowing skin provided light. There was nothing much to say. The walls on the other side of the castle weren't as broken down as the the entrance walls, but she could see permanent soot everywhere.   
Wil stayed silent, giving Crista the opportunity she needed to take all this in. For a moment, she glimpsed an area on the ground that looked like it had fresh footprints, but she didn't pay too much attention to it. 

She walked across to a circular structure that looks like it used to be a scout tower. It was tall and would've been taller if the top half wasn't missing. She walked around it until she was in the same spot she found it. There was no opening on the bottom half. She looked at Wil for his opinion.

"This looks like a defense tower. And I'm guessing Skytravellers didn't need stairs to get to the top." He looked up at the darkening sky.

"Good observation Wil." She smiled at him and his cheeks blushed. He scratched his head and pretended to look at something.

She continued to study the tower. Suddenly her silver wings were out and and Wil looked at her in confusion.

"Uhhh… I thought you said you don't have much experience flying."

She looked at him before responding softly. "I don't."   
She flapped her wings once, causing dust to raise. Wil shielded his eyes, but Crista looked upwards. She flapped more consistently before her feet lifted off of the ground. The flaps were loud, and Wil could feel the movement of the wind. She swayed to each side little by little, but she got the hang of it very fast. Soon she managed to pick herself up further with less but more effective flaps. She rose higher until she went over the top of the tower. Wil felt a little lonely without her fervent light.

The inside of the tower was empty and hollow, but she landed inside anyways. She landed on broken wood and a lot of other junk. The area was a closed space. The tower was built so they can see outside of the castle without constantly flying. She touched the walls and closed her eyes. She sighed. As she set her feet in place and braced herself for lift-off, she stepped on something that produced a different sound. She stomped on it and it clanged. Metal. She used her feet and moved as much dirt and debris as she can. Then she saw something that her glow was glinting off of. She used her hands to pry it out. After a minute, she pulled it out. It was a worn shield. White and gold but stained with dirt, it had the Kingdom of Trio's coat of arms. A dove on the top left, a pair of wings on the top right, and a swirl symbol on the bottom. She ran her hand on its surface, getting dirt between her nails. A singletear ran down her cheek. She wiped it and flapped her wings. 

Wil stared at the object in her hands as she steadily landed. He didn't think she would find something there but he was glad that she did. It gave her a sense of who she was. He was busy studying her shield when he noticed her looking frantically around. She looked somewhat scared. Her head rapidly turned to all different corners. This caused him to look around also. The guards were still alert at the front. What was she looking for?

"Crista,…is something the matter?" He gently placed a hand on her forearm. Something was off. She turned around to Wil. Her breathing increased and her chest was visibly heaving. She was clearly panicking.

"We need to get out of here!" She grabbed Wil's hand and rushed back to the horses, keeping her obtained shield close. Without questions, they rode back to Arborlon.

When they reached home, she nodded to the guards as they handled the horses.

"Thank you so much Wil." She held her shield and looked to Wil, more relaxed now that they are home.

"So I'm guessing you aren't going to tell me what happened back there?" He stepped closer.

She shook her head and closed the distance, giving him a hug. She let go and gave him a smile.   
"We should work together from now on."

Wil smiled wide and nodded.  Despite his worry for Crista, his heart was beating fast in excitement. He's pretty sure Crista knows this too because for the first time, her cheeks  are slightly pink before she turned, rushing to the palace dorms.

As she walked in, she saw Kate walking down the hallway fast.

"Kate!" She called for her.

Kate turned around and smiled. She walked towards Crista and they greeted each other with a hug.

"How is Riley?" Crista asked.

"She's still recovering, but so far she's doing fine." Kate said, her eyes glinting for a moment.

She noticed the coat of arms and looked at Crista with a seriousness.

"You… finally went." She placed a hand on Crista's arm with pride. "I'm glad you found something."

Kate's smile started to drop when she noticed Crista's unusual worried expression.   
"That's the same expression you had when you first told me Riley was sick. What's wrong? You're scaring me."

Crista looked her in the eyes, thinking of what to say before speaking. Her mouth opened and for a moment she almost lost the words she was about to say. I went there with Wil…and two escorts…"

Kate waited, searching for the rest of Crista's words. Something clearly has caught her off guard. And that is a rare event.

"Kate,… there were four other heartbeats, not including mine."

Kate felt her heart drop. If her heart dropped this far for Crista, then she can't imagine how Crista would've felt feeling that extra heartbeat. One thing that Crista has forgotten to mention to Wil, was that nobody can enter the grounds of the Trio Castle, torn down or not. There is an invisible barrier spell, that can only be entered by a true Skytraveller along with their subconscious permission that allows others to pass through. Because Wil was her friend, she let him pass. But what does that mean if somebody else was there? She saw footprints but only felt the extra heartbeat later.   
Kate grabbed Crista's hand and hugged her tightly.

….

The hospital room was pretty cold. Wil tucked in an extra blanket around Eretria. She stirred and opened her eyes.

"Hey short tips."

Wil chuckled. "Hey Rover." He pulled a chair close her and folded his arms on her bed. "You have got to stop getting into trouble." He shook his head, staring at her. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not always lookin' for trouble. Trouble finds me."

Wil raised a brow. "Are you sure about that?"

Eretria laughed. "How long have I been stuck here?"

"Just a couple of days. Amberle has been actively searching for Bandon."

The color drained from Eretria's face. "What do you mean? They haven't taken him in?"

"Calm down…"

"He tried to kill me!" Eretria struggled to sit up.

Wil jumped up and placed a couple of pillows behind her to support her up.

"When they got to his place, he was already gone. Signs of guilt are everywhere, it's just a matter of finding him."

Eretria sighed. "Sorry. I'm just really frustrated. And not knowing where he is isn't helping."

"It's alright. Relax. You need your rest, we will find it." He held her hands. "I know some info that will cheer you up though. How would you like to get out of this bed?"

Eretria's face lit up. "You mean I don't have to stay in here?"

"Doc said you could stay in your dorm with supervision. So how about it?"

She started throwing all the blankets that were on her to the side. "Are you kidding me? Do you even have to ask?"

Wil handed her crutches and helped her up to the bathroom. He gave her clothes to change and waited outside. Since the hospital is the same one inside the palace dorms, Crista's dorm wasn't too far away.

"I swear, even though I'm glad to be out of that damn room, I have to admit I'm feeling very paranoid." She steadied herself on her crutches, careful not to fall on their way to the dorm.

"Don't worry, you're safe with me." He gave her a small smile that went away too quickly. "So uhh… do you know why Bandon attacked you?"

"No clue. I don't even know who the hell he is." Her jaw clenched as they reached her dorm. She invited Wil inside as she sat on the couch next to him. Crista wasn't here. Wil was a little disappointed at this.

"Well…" his expression hardened, "I have an idea of why he attacked you." Eretria blinked. "Do you remember when we first met?" He asked.

Eretria took an immediate trip down memory lane. She was thirteen at the time and was living an abusive life with Cephalo. He scolded and slapped her hard earlier that day, so she took a long walk out in the forest. She was on a thin dirt road kicking rocks when she heard a commotion somewhere nearby. She hid behind the bushes and saw four, no five young boys. A blonde kid was on the ground, his mouth bleeding, and dirt all over his white tunic. The other four boys towered over him and laughed. Eretria didn't catch what was going on until one of the boys pulled the blonde kid's hair to make him stand and the others started kicking him rapidly. Two of them lifted him off of the ground and threw him across the dirt road, causing him to scrape and graze his skin. A kid with ruffled brown hair picked up a big rock and walked over to him. He raised it and bashed the kid in the back of the head. Were they trying to kill him? When he was done, he threw the rock to the side. It rolled towards Eretria's shoe and she picked it up, blood was all over it.   
The blonde kid spit out blood and grimaced. He wasn't fighting back. Eretria knew how it was to be pushed around without a fighting chance. She could easily fight back Cephalo, but he was her father who could ruin her life in more ways than one and that took away her fighting chance.   
She surveyed the surroundings. They were only a couple of feet away but they had no idea she was there. Time to show them what a Rover can do. There were four of them standing over the blonde kid. There was a huge tree near them. She snuck behind it and started to climb. They were too busy calling the beaten boy horrible names and saying something about elf stones. 

She squatted on top of a branch that stretched out over them and smiled, twiddling the rock in her hand. She closed her eyes and counted to herself, one…two…three.   
She jumped out of the tree and landing directly onto one of the boys, bashing his face into the ground with her foot all at once. Before the boys could tell what was going on, she threw the rock to the back of boy number two so hard he was knocked out. The other two boys turned around and ran towatowards her. She instantly flipped one onto her knee with a backbreaker and stared at the boy with the ruffled hair before simply hitting him with a powerful spinning backhand.

She wiped her bloody hand on the boys clothes before walking away. She didn't even acknowledge the beaten blonde boy, but he noticed her. He stood up groggily, but rushed to walk with her. The first thing he was asking about was her hair and why it was in an unusual braid. He found out that she was a Rover and she found out he was an orphan who had just lost his mother. They stayed loyal friends ever since despite their different yet similar upbringings.

She snapped out of her minute flashback. "I remember well." She nodded her head.

Wil ran his hand through his hair. "Yeap, well… Bandon was the kid that you backhanded."

Recognition dawned on her face. That's why his ruffled hair looked so familiar. And that's why he took an interest in her on the first day of school, turns out his insolence wasn't actually checking her out. It all makes sense now. It still doesn't help that he is nowhere to be found though.   
That night, Wil stayed with her until Crista came home. She noticed a spark between the two as the hugged before he left. She and Crista chatted the night away, talking about Crista's outing and Eretria's injuries. They even fell asleep on the couch.

Eretria attended classes the next morning and the whole week. She hasn't seen Amberle since the hospital, but Crista and Wil have been keeping her company, and making sure she's been coping with her ankle. But she misses Amberle so much. She had heard that Amberle has been on a non-stop search mission for Bandon. She wishes that the Princess could at least stop by and talk a little, but she has also been on horseback outside the kingdom scanning the perimeters. Sometimes she wishes that Amberle would tell her that everything is fine now and that Bandon is scared and ran far far away just so that she could be done searching and spend more time with Eretria. She wants to telll her about the sad news in drama class, that because of her broken ankle she won't be playing the second lead, and that she would be getting a new partner. Regardless, she was craving Amberle's presence.

It's been about a week now. With the help of Crista and Wil giving her natural ointments, the bruising on her face started to heal. It was 7:30 in the evening when she decided she wanted to go outside for a walk. A whole week without Amberle made her lonely and sad so she was hoping a quiet night would help. She still used her crutches which didn't make things easier. Then she thought, wait why doesn't she just go to Amberle's dorm and wait? She started on her way over there. There weren't many people around the palace dorm halls at that point, but Amberle's dorm was still on the far side around several corners.

She continued on her way, until a suspicious feeling crept down her spine. Maybe coming alone was a bad idea. She stopped and looked behind her. No one was there. She looked in front of her down the long hallway. Nobody was around, but there were many alcoves and statues in the walls. Someone could easily be hiding. She thought of Amberle and she immediately started on her way again. She just wanted to see Amberle. She turned around the corner and walked until she reached the middle of another hallway. She instantly regretted coming alone when the lights dimmed. Her eyes widened and her heart raced. There were still the super high ceiling lights that never turn off so she could at least see a little. That still doesn't explain the fact that the hallway lights were switched off. Nobody ever turns them off. She took out her phone and texted Wil.

"In the hallway near Amberle's dorm. -Eretria"

That's all she could text before the paranoia overwhelmed her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She turned around and bumped into a warm body. Her heart sunk but she was too scared to even scream.

"I see you're not dead yet." He said with a menacing voice.

Eretria stepped back and desperately hoped someone would turn up around the corner.

"How..H.. how the hell??" She was trying her best to step backwards as fast as she can but the crutches were delaying her. "How the f&$% did you even get in here??" She asked, her voice trembling. Maybe if she didn't have a broken ankle, she'd have more courage and fight back. But Bandon being the maniac cheap shot he is, takes his opportunities with advantages.   
He closed the space between them,causing all of her efforts to gain some distances go to waste. He laughed when one of her crutches caught on her shoe, causing her to fall and drop a crutch. She used the other crutch to try and stand but Bandon pushed her back down and laughed.

"None of that is going to matter to you." He looked down to her cast.  "I see that your ankle is broken, let me put you out of your damn misery!" His vindictive voice raised as he raised a hand.   
Eretria saw a glimmer of metal flash before her eyes.

"Cut the crap Bandon." A familiar voice boomed from behind Eretria. The dagger hasn't pierced into her skin yet. The pain that she expected never came.  Instead she heard the clanging of heels against the ground coming closer and stepping next to Eretria. She could make out a familiar silhouette. The girl pushed Bandon backwards so hard that he fell. He stood back up quickly and huffed.

"What the hell? This wasn't part of the p-"

"Part of what? Your sweet, sweet revenge?" She cut him off and turned to Eretria, lending a hand to help her up.

She was too confused to accept the girl's hand when they heard a sudden yell like a battlecry. Bandon sprinted for the kill, raising his dagger towards Eretria, but before he could reach her, the girl turn around and  stepped in front of her. That was another moment Eretria will never forget. The moment the girl's eyes had little flames dance in them before reaching out her right hand to deflect Bandon's attack.   
A yellow aspherical burst-shield, about the size of her hand, sparked from her palm lighting up the area with heat for just a second while easily swaying Brandon's dagger. The burst shield dissipated as quickly as it came leaving small curtails of smoke. He quickly lifted his other hand with another dagger, but she deflected it just as easily with the same hand. Then she raised her other hand and stretched them both towards Bandon's middle torso which was unprotected since both of his daggers had just been deflected. This time she produced a bigger burst that wasn't a shield. Bandon flew several feet across the hall, dropping his daggers and rolling to a stop.

Eretria was stuck between confusion and fear. The girl turned around and dusted her hands until there was no smoke producing. The flames in her eyes died. She extended her hand to Eretria once more. When Eretria was too shocked to take it, she rolled her eyes and placed Eretria's arm over her neck to help her stand and walk.   
They walked slowly towards an area with a little more light. Eretria did not expect something like this to happen. She just wanted, so desperately to see Amberle.

"What? No welcome back kiss?" She girl chuckled.

Eretria turned her attention to the girl that was supporting her. She could now see a part of the girl's face and went slacked-jawed. Her blonde hair was still immaculate and her dress was impeccable, like it was just yesterday she last saw her.

 

Morgan...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oohhhhh snap.


	14. Fallcress: Revival

"Come on, I know I'm stunning, but the least you can do is thank me for saving your life." Morgan smirked. For a moment, Eretria couldn't form words because she was literally stunned. Someone who almost takes your life and sends you to the hospital for the first time comes back to save your life? Where do you even begin to question that?

Eretria moved away from Morgan's supporting shoulder and leaned on a nearby wall instead. Her crutches were out of reach and she had to catch her breath after recent events. "How about, maybe you saved my life after almost costing me my life." She scowled at the blonde. Though, deep in the back of her mind, she was really grateful that Morgan intervened. How was she stupid enough to walk alone, with an injured ankle, knowing that someone was out to get her? All she could think about was Amberle, Amberle, Amberle. 

Then a realization hit her, Amberle wasn't even on campus! She's been out with a search party for several days. If she came back to her room every night, then why hasn't she visited? 

Morgan rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "I'm sorry," she stepped closer to Eretria and leaned onto the wall, a little too close for Eretria's comfort. "Its just hard to control my urges. Especially when the very object of confliction is sleeping in the very same room with me." Her lips turned upward in a seductive smile.  
Eretria could've sworn that Morgan's eyes were flicking to her lips more than once. 

"I knew it!" A familiar voice came from the end of the hall and relief filled the Rover. Her glow filled in the leftover darkness that lurked around in the corners. She approached Morgan with a hug. Eretria almost forgot that they were friends.   
Wil rushed behind her and kept glancing back at Bandon's crippled body on the floor. "uh,...um... I'm going to call the authorities." He jerked his thumbs behind him.

"That's a good idea. Who would want that idiot getting back up?" Morgan remarked and Wil's eyes went wide.

"uh.. yeah" He looked over to Eretria who looked so uncomfortable. He gave her a thumbs up and raised his brow, questioning if she was okay. She nodded and he left with a sprint, eyeing Bandon. 

"Whoa, I love your hair. I guess I missed your blooming huh?" Morgan asked Crista. 

As they drifted off in conversation, Eretria had more time to think about what was happening. Bandon is about to be locked away and Amberle can now come home to relax, so why does she still feel so uneasy? Morgan. Why did it have to be her that comes to save the day? Why couldn't it be her real knight and shining armor? Suddenly, her head was struck with a crashing headache and her vision started to blur. She place a hand to her to her temple, she wasn't feeling too well.   
She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to find Crista with a worried expression on her face. She handed Eretria her crutches that she had picked up from the floor. 

"Are you okay? I can take you back to the dorm. I just thought that you'd want to stay and make sure the guards got the full report on what's happened." Crista asked, her hand still on Eretria's shoulder. 

"No, you're right. I want to see him put away." She scowled in Bandon's direction.  
Morgan let a growl escape her and another sultry smile formed on her face as she eyed the Rover. Crista rolled her eyes in disbelief at the blonde and Eretria shook her head as she stepped away from her. 

Footsteps can be heard and Wil comes rushing out from the corner, seemingly out of breath. Behind him were four guards and their commander who had a clipboard. He had a smile on his face when his guards picked up Bandon. His smiled dropped when he saw Morgan. 

" I knew I smelt a waft of smoke in here." He said while he walked over. "Morgan, you just got out. You can't be using your abilities freely. Especially since they're newfound, the extent is unknowledgeable. I'm surprised you're allowed out here." He spoke, obviously unhappy and weary. 

"Pipe down a bit commander. They've held me in there for far too long. Besides, I only used them to save our beloved after Bandon attacked her." She gestured to Eretria. He glanced over at the Rover.

"Is this true?" He raised his brow. She looked at Morgan and Crista who just waited for her response as well. She sighed and nodded. " Very well." The commander turned to leave. 

"Okay." Wil walked over next to Eretria. "We should get the reports done with so we can get you some rest," he said to Eretria.   
...  
Although the couch isn't as comfortable as her bed, it was so comfortable right now. Wil came out of the bathroom with a small towlette and placed it over Eretria's head. It was soaked in hot water and was vey soothing. Eretria closed her eyes and Wil sat across from her. The door opened and Crista walked in. 

"Hey." Wil gave her a smile. She walked over and sat next to him. 

"Morgan will be staying in the dorm that she used to." She said. 

"But isn't that room filled with toxins or something?" He asked curious. 

"That was a long time ago and they've been sanitizing it as much as they can since then. At the end of the day, it's just smoke."

"Yeah, poison smoke." 

"Even then, Morgan is unaffected by her own toxins, so it wouldn't be a problem since she will be the only one occupying that room."

"So, Eretria will be staying with you permanently?" Wil beamed when Crista nodded. He was actually happy because this means whenever he comes over to hang with Eretria, he will get to see Crista as well. He tried, leaning over his knees and clasped his hands together. He tried so hard, but he couldn't hide his happiness. He glanced up at Crista only to find her looking back at him. He gave her a smile which she returned in no time. 

"So are you guys a thing?" Eretria sat up, holding the wet cloth on her forehead in place. Wil blushed and Crista chuckled. "Come on guys. Take my mind off of things." 

"We're taking things slow." Crista said with a smile. Wil gave Eretria a sheepish smile, tints of pink in his pointy ears. She grabbed Wil's hand and held it.  
Eretria rolled her eyes. "Ugh, I'd probably throw up if I didn't understand the feelings you two are having." They laughed as a couple of knocks sounded off. Crista stood up, reluctantly letting Wil's hand go and opened the door.   
"Amberle!" Crista said as she hugged the Princess. 

Eretria perked up as she realized she was finally here. Her heart sped up and she turned to the Princess. wearing purple combat armor, she looked a little worn out if it wasn't for the gleam in her eyes when she looked back at Eretria. 

"Oh my god, Eretria..." She said as she sat next to the Rover, gently taking a hold of her face. "I received word that you were attacked and Bandon was caught, so I came as soon as I could." Her eyes were full of worry. 

"I'm alright Princess, I'm glad I finally get to see you." Eretria placed her hand over the Princess' hand that were still cupping her face. 

A look of realization dawned on Amberle's face. "What were you thinking!?" She stood up abruptly. "Going out by yourself? I thought you were a Rover! You're supposed to know when and where is the right things to do things!" She threw her hands up in frustration. The swords and weapons at her side clanging with noise. 

"Excuse me?" Eretria asked in confusion. Crista and Wil looked at each other awkwardly. 

"Look..." Amberle sat back down and held both of Eretria's hands. "I don't know what I would've done if something bad happened to you, even worse than what has already happened." She sighed and gave Eretria a half smile. "I missed you so much in the past couple of days... and there's no comparing to how much I would miss you if you're no longer here." 

Eretria couldn't help but smile. "I'm sorry, I just had to see if you were around. I wasn't thinking and it was very stupid of me." 

Amberle kissed to top her head and spoke, "Now, I need to give Bandon a piece of my mind." 

"Actually, he's out cold right now." Wil said, standing next to Crista. "He's been in an induced coma. Morgan really put him out."

"Morgan!?" Amberle scrunched her face. "Morgan's out of examination?" 

...

The next morning. 10:00 AM.  
"It's been too long Kate." Morgan said, letting out a long breath. The sun was bright and a soft breeze filling the courtyard. Birds chirped in the distance giving that missing sound of nature. Kate was wheeling Riley, who looked so much better. Although the lower half of her legs were gone, color has returned to her lips and cheeks. Her long red hair was healthy and had a shine to it. It seems even though the success rate was so low, she was a miracle. 

"Tell me about it. I haven't been out as much, so what do you say about shopping later? We should get Crista to come with us too for old times sake." She smiled, the dark circles that used to be under her eyes were long gone. 

"Does that mean I can come too?" Riley looked up and asked. Her whole life she has only been out several times. Not that she minded, since she would rather stay home. But in her near death experience, she found herself wanting to go out more often. 

"Of course love." Kate pulled away loose strands of hair from her sister's face.   
"Riley, you are so beautiful!" Morgan gushed as she pinched Riley's cheek. "Just like your sister." 

"Not as beautiful as you." Riley smiled her cute smile.   
As they were walking and catching up on things, a noise can be heard from a nearby tree. 

"What's that noise?" Riley asked curious.  
It sucked that she couldn't stand to go see what it was for herself. It actually sounded like a series of meows. They stopped walking as Morgan went to investigate the noise. It was definitely a cat, a big white and fluffy cat that seemed like it got stuck from climbing further and couldn't climb back down. She chuckled as she grabbed the cat, purring from human contact. She walked back over to the girls and Riley has already started marveling the cat. 

"He's just a little cutie stuck up in a tree." Morgan said cuddling the cat. 

Riley laughed. "I thought that only happens in movies!" 

"Apparently not." Kate chuckled. 

"Here." Morgan handed the cat to Riley. He started pushing his face up against the red headed girl with affection, loving the attention it's getting. "There's no collar around him and I don't think anybody on campus owns a cat. Do you want to keep him?"

She gasped and a light sparked in her eyes. "Can I keep him!?" She asked, mostly to Kate. 

"Umm,... actually darling I don't think they allow pets." 

"That's bull. She just survived a fatal condition, if she want's a cat, let the girl keep the cat." Morgan smiled at Riley. 

Kate looked down at Riley. She would do anything to keep her happy. "Alright fine, but if they say you can't keep him then we have to give him away." She patted her sister's head. Riley held on to the cat tightly and her expression was even more exuberant than before. 

"Yayy! I'm going to name him Mr. Fluff'n'stuffs." 

Kate laughed at his childish name. "What?"

"He's my cat, I can name him whatever I want!" Riley pouted, but then laughed along with her. 

"Of course you can my love." Kate replied. She looked at Morgan who had her hands on her hips and was smiling. She whispered a thank you to the blonde who seemed very pleased. The rest of the day they spent bonding and catching up with all the time that was lost, both for Riley and Morgan. 

...

11:00 PM

She looked around the dorm halls. This would've been easier if she stayed in the Palace dorms like Crista and Amberle, but no. Just because she's a Fallcress, she's discriminated against. They try to downplay it, but they really don't see how unfair it is to have her stay elsewhere. She is a princess after all, even though she's the princess of Valoid. 

A few people were around but Morgan knew that nobody would bother her. She walked out of her dorm with nothing but the burning sensations under her skin. She could feel the heat in her palms wanting to come out, waiting to let loose the pleasurable sensation of flames licking at the oxygen around her. But she had to control it. She could control it. It's no use using it here. There's a time and place for everything. 

She walked down the hall in black leather pants, heels, and a half-sleeved matching button up shirt. Along with a black cape with a detachable hood. Her hair was in a high pony-tail, showing off her remarkable facial features. As she passed by a few people she hears a guy complimenting her, but she just ignored them all. She has a task at hand and she won't waste time dilly-dallying. 

She exited the building and walked towards the stables, pulling her hood over her head. There were guards around, but they weren't stationary. It was a smart move wearing all black. There weren't many light sources around and it was getting pretty late. That's a downfall for whoever designed the University. You have guards on watch, but what's the use if they can't actually provide vision? Stupid, but it made it easier for her to evade them. 

One of the guards walked towards the horses and stood there on post. She had to figure a way to distract him. She surveyed the area and noticed there were three other students several feet away hanging out. A woman was talking to a guy next to her while a third guy stood in front of them, his back to Morgan. He held a cigarette in his hand, newly lit. Morgan smiled to herself, she now had an idea. From behind a bush where nobody could see her, she snapped her fingers and a flame stuck to her thumb as if she had lit a lighter. Ahh, there's that familiar sensation.   
She studied the man with the cigarette. He puffed out a little cloud of smoke and dropped his hand down to his side, stillstthe holding the cigarette in between his fingers. Morgan bit her lip and closed one eye as she aimed. She flicked the flame on her thumb and leaving no need to repeat herself, it caught on the cigarette. The cigarette lit up slowly, the little flame climbing higher towards the man's hand. Within seconds, he jumped in a sudden burst of agony, the flame had caught on to his jacket and he was swinging his arm frantically trying to put it out. Bonus points, Morgan thought. 

"What the hell did you do!?" The other man asked, starting to panic as they tried to put the flames out. The guard on post near the horses noticed the commotion and started walking towards the trio to investigate.

On cue, Morgan walked over towards the horses, her head held high with not a care in the world. She made no hesitation and picked out a dark horse, riding it out of the stables. The guards had no idea what just happened, security is so weak. She shook her head at the management of Arborlon. She took off riding in the distance, out of the kingdom. Nobody will question her because there was no curfew. As for why she stole a horse? A motor vehicle would cause too much a commotion for where she's headed to.

.... 

It took several hours, but she finally made it. She stopped several feet away from the huge fortified structure. It stood forty feet tall with flawless red stone. It looked beautiful honestly. There was a huge steel drawbridge at the entrance, obviously closed for security reasons. At the bottom were seven guards standing in place wearing red and gold clad armor holding spears and shields. There were three on each side, stretching along the walls of the castle and one tall one standing at the center of the drawbridge. He wore slightly thicker armor and had the Fallcress flame symbol embroidered on his chest piece. He must be the commander.   
Up higher on the walls, above the guards, were several arrowslits. She could see wooden arrows poking out of each slit, ready to fire at her if needed. She chuckled to herself. She got off her horse and let go of his reigns not caring if it runs off or not, though it just moved to munch on nearby greens. 

"Halt!" The commander projects. He stepped forward. "Stay where you are and state your business!"

She strutted towards the guard daringly and slowly, making him eye her caution. To him she was just a girl that poses no threat to their seven men and the additional archers. 

"You dare challenge my commands! Halt or I will have you in custody for trespassing!" He boomed with anger. 

"I want to see the King." She smiled deviously. The commander gave a short snickered laugh. 

"You'd think I'd let a stranger see the King? At a time like this?" He banged his spear to the ground producing a loud clang. "You are an uninvited guest! Dismiss yourself immediately!" He stared into her eyes, but she didn't stop. 

With her hood up and her arms out from under the cape, the flames in her right palm ignited. Her eyes lit red and orange with flecks of blue in the center. The commander's eyes went wide and found himself in a sudden battle stance. The rest of the guards surrounded her with their spears ready to fight. Though, Morgan could tell they were unsure of the outcome if this turns into the battle that it's brimming up to be. 

"One last chance! Turn around and leave and we won't bother coming after you!" The commander stood his ground. A simple tactic to encourage the rest of his guard. 

Instead, she lit her other palm and the guards stuck out their spears in n attempt to force her into surrender. Their worthless posturing only pushed her into more haste. She twisted both of her palms upward and her fireballs burst into a rain of flames causing the guards to shield their eyes.

While they were distracted, she slashed the air horizontally with her index finger towards the three guards to her left. A flame flashed across the guard's shields as they lifted them on instinct. The flames quickly traveled over the defensive plates and ran along the shafts of their spears and onto the front of their cuirass, heating their armor enough for them to scurry away. Swiftly she did the same to the three guards on her right, before they could close the distance. They'll be pre-occupied with trying to get free of their armor now. 

"Fire!" The commander lifted his spear to signal the archers lurking behind the arrow slits. 

Fire indeed. Morgan thought to herself.

Several arrows let loose towards Morgan. But each time they got inches away from hitting their destination, they lit up and disintegrate into ashes penetrating through an invisible heat shield. The commander started panicking but stood his ground. As he lifted his spear, Morgan slashed him with another flamed finger, but this time only enough to burn the shaft of his long spear in half. 

The commander dropped what was left of his spear and curled his fists into balls onto his sides. The arrows stopped coming since she was too close to the commander to shoot. He gritted his teeth, accepting that he is overpowered.   
"Who are you?" He asked through his clenched jaw. 

Morgan lifted her hand to the commanders throat. Although one hand is too small to do any actual damage to his naturally bigger physique, her abilities made up for that. His skin underneath her fingers started to blister and peel red. He dropped to his knees from the pain and screamed in agony. 

"Open the drawbridge!" She yelled up to the archers and whoever was in charge of the entrance. 

"No! Don't let her pass!" The commander managed to order. At that, Morgan pushed him overt with a kick in the chest, sending him onto his back. He clenched his throat where blisters will scar for the rest of his life. 

She took strides toward him with her index finger pointing to the ground. She started circling him, letting her finger draw thick flames. She continued this until he was surrounded, leaving him rapidly losing oxygen. 

"Open the drawbridge! Now or your commander dies!" She ordered, losing more patience by the second. 

After a moment of no response, someone finally called out. "Okay! Let him go and we'll drop the bridge!"

She gave herself a wicked smile and circled around the commander once more, this time letting her cape drape over the flames, putting them out. She pushed the commander, who was on all fours, to the ground with her foot. He was visibly in and out of consciousness. A loud noise came from in front of her as the drawbridge started coming down. As soon as it hit the ground, she walked in without further obstruction or interrogation. 

The guards on the inside of the walls just watched her cautiously. Some of them couldn't hide the fear in their eyes. It's a good thing most of the people were asleep, even though this was a motte-and-bailey type of castle. Inside was acres of lands and trees. In the far distance, she could see modern buildings and maybe multiple cities. She spotted two light-armored guards on horses racing towards the city, most likely to warn the King. No matter, she wanted him to know she was here anyways. 

"Bring me my horse!" She glanced backed at the guards behind her. They scowled at her with a hint of confusion. She drew a line of fire on one of the guards. "Now!" She commanded once again. This time they made no hesitation and retrieved her grazing horse. She rode with a pleased smile on her face.

She rode through the brightly lit city without any disturbance. The roads were mostly brick, unlike the nicely paved roads in Arborlon. There were dozens of small buildings, no doubt civilian homes. She could hear the two scouts on the horses ahead of her yelling out to the other guards. "Beware of intruder! Do not engage in contact! Code Auburn! I repeat, do not engage in contact!" 

This put the other guards on edge as they watched Morgan closely. What could possibly be so dangerous about a woman with a hood? She couldn't care less. She saw some of the civilians poke their heads out of their doors, awakened or alarmed about what was happening. She turned her attention towards the scouts and followed them up a hill towards a building much larger than any of the housing in the city. That must be where King Levron sleeps. 

The scouts entered their destination and disappeared with no hesitation. She stopped at the entrance, the palace guards outside the King's quarters were more than angry knowing a complete stranger is infiltrating the kingdom so easily. She got off her horse and walked in, piercing daggers with her stares at those who tried to close in on her. The inside of the building was brightly lit in contrast to the dark of the night. Servants in white were cleaning and maintaining whatever they could, even at a time like this. Gold and red designs flooded the walls. Pillars on each side holding the ceiling up so high. The floor was white marble with blended thin, red wisps. There were large thick spiral stairs on both sides of the hall. Probably leading to more halls and bedrooms, meaning this was probably the Palace. On the ground laid a long dark, red carpet connecting the entrance of the building to the end of the hall. This is great for a grand entrance, Morgan thought.   
A commotion can be heard from further down at the end of the hall. A large golden throne sat empty, atop a series of flat and wide steps. Behind the throne was a massive gold wall, integrated with thick swirling designs. In center was a huge set of red gleaming double doors that had the Fallcress flame on it. It made a heavy noise sure enough made to announce the presence of the King as it opened. 

"And you let her in!? Let me see who this filthy rat thinks she is." A loud and raspy voice boomed with anger. 

"She's already on her way Your Majesty! She was right on our tails..." one of the scouts stopped what he was saying as they walked out in front of the throne. 

Wearing black silk pajamas with a tight fitted tank top showing off his muscular chest, he stood above six feet tall. His light blue eyes on his attractive face tinged with anger. He had a closely shaved, light blonde beard that highlighted his jaw line and a clean crew cut.   
He eyed Morgan as she pulled her hood back. He laughed as he sat on his throne nonchalantly. 

"So what? Did you persuade the guards to let you in with your charms?" He said making twirly gestures in the air with one of his hands. He rested his chin on a palm with an already bored expression. 

"Umm... Your Majesty!" One of the scouts started but was shut down. 

"No, no... let the little rat speak." He turned to her. "How did you do it? I could have you charged with incursion."

She gave him a sarcastic smile and lit a fireball in her hand. The King's eyes widened and he stood up immediately. "With this obviously. Next time, let your dogs warn you before I burn your lips sealed." She took strides down the hall, closing in most of the distance and stopping at the base of the steps. "And that would be a shame. A travesty on my end if I don't get what I came here for." She closed her hand and suffocated the fire instantly, leaving a trail of smoke.

"How did you do that? Only the kindred Fallcress have the manipulation of infernos." He took a slow step forward. "We haven't had a Pyrokinetic in decades including myself and..." He trailed off in thought as it dawned on him. "Did you come from Arborlon?" 

Morgan rolled her eyes and detached her cape. She turned around and showed her bare neck revealing the Fallcress Tattoo. "Don't bother with further questions. I know who I am and now you do too." 

The King gave a wide and wild smile, his eyes sparking with fascination. "My long...lost...daughter." He moved slowly down the steps. "Who would've known that you would be the one to break the ice that's been suffocating the Fallcress lineage of it's full potential." He stood in front of her, a lunatic expression on his face. 

"Don't get your hopes up. I didn't come here for you. I came here for the book." She spat with annoyance. King or not, he was beginning to become a nuisance. 

"The book! Ah but what's the hurry? We have some serious catching up to do."

"You mean to salvage all those years you didn't bother?" She scowled while her eyes lit up. 

"Oh come on, don't be like that. I simply didn't want to start a war that would put you in danger." He shrugged his shoulders. Morgan felt the anger brew in her at the pathetic excuse. It was his expression that gave away his true feelings. He didn't care. He didn't care at all. After all, her mother was probably just some random woman. 

She lit a fire ball, this time throwing it and setting a nearby wall drape on fire. "Where is the damn book!?" She demanded. She throws fires at random, but most likely valuable objects. 

The King shielded his eyes at her outburst and the servants along with the scouts started panicking to control the fires. "Alright! Alright! The hell do you think you're doing destroying the family Palace!?" He power walked back into his master bedroom and came out after several minutes. He held a thick, red book. It had the Fallcress symbol on both back and front of it's hardcover. 

"I'm curious..." He said tapping the book with a roll of his fingers. "You obviously learned how to use Pyrodraw without the book, no doubt you don't have trouble owning the other abilities... why do you need this old thing?" He walked closer to her. 

She scrunched her face. "I had to learn about my abilities from people who knew nothing about them! I started from scratch and through trial and error!" She snatched the thick book forcefully from her father. "They gave me the leniency of learning about my true history and that of a book record of Pyrokinetics." 

He gave her a half proud and confident smile. "Do you know what this means now that you're here? We can take over the realm together! With the Skytravellers no longer existing, and what does Arborlon have? Sleeping elf stones?" His smile became wider with each passing word. "This will be a guaranteed victory! And you,...my Princess... will be the Champion of our Kingdom!" 

Morgan's mouth twitched and her eyes narrowed as if lost in thought. Then she turned abruptly to leave. King Levron grabbed onto her wrist in a flash. He jumped back as he was instantly burned. 

"Your Majesty!" The scouts rushed to his aide. Morgan continued walking, but before exiting the building she glanced over her shoulder at the King.

 

"...If you want me to be your Champion, then you will have to fight for me." She remarked, all she wanted was for her father to fight for her, something he has failed to do for the last twenty years. 

"That's it? And where will you be? Back in Arborlon?" He hissed, trying to shake off the burning blisters on his hand. He tried to bite back his anger. He was an outraged king after all. 

"No where else to go." She climbed on top of her horse.

"Fine. You want me to reap havoc for you? Then I will." 

Morgan bit her tongue back. He only cares now that he's found out she inherited Pyrokinesis. He only sees power, not love. 

"Prove it." She rode off without looking back. The more she thought about it, the more she felt like a tool for war tactics. She never felt more unwanted in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know a lot of you have been waiting for the next chapter! Sorry I took so long! ;[ Anyways, thank you all for reading! Please tell me your thoughts!


	15. Dancing With Fire

In the past couple of weeks, Eretria's ankle has gotten better. The bruises on her face have disappeared as if they were never there. She started attending school again and it took a great effort to catch up on her assignments, but she eventually did, with the help of the Princess.

  
Wil had been hanging out more often with Crista, probably focusing on their studies... probably. Morgan has been, strangely enough, minding her own business. Eretria recently spotted her hanging out with Kate and her younger sister. Maybe she has started to see how useless the past drama really is.

  
"So are you ready to get this party started?" Amberle asked excitedly. She threw her hands up and started dancing to the song blasting through the big speakers in each corner of the large building. Her cerulean blue dress swayed above her knees with her swift movements. Her hair was half up and had a beautiful flower pin holding ithe in place. Her green eyes sparkled in the dimly lit room, reflecting the rainbow colours of the flashing disco lights.

  
"I never imagined those words coming out from a Princess' mouth." Eretria smiled while swaying to the music.

  
"And I never imagined you in a dress!" Amberle chuckled.

  
"I was never against wearing dresses!" Eretria projected her voice, trying to speak over the loud music. "And besides, It's not like you would see me wearing dresses to school." She wore a light gray dress that had a slit down her left leg. Her hair was up in a bun with long strands of straight hair hanging down framing her face. She is now able to walk without an ankle cast. The doctors said she will be fine, but even after their assurance she's a bit paranoid that she might strain and break it again, especially with these heels on.

  
Amberle's lips turned upwards into a rewarding smile. "Come on! Dance with me!" She pulled Eretria's hands to her waist as she held onto them. Eretria's heart started beating against the rhythm of the upbeat dance music. She felt the musical fissure concomitant with the tingling sensations Amberle's hands were giving her. She felt the goosebumps raising beneath her skin.

  
She swayed, guided by Amberle's hips, but soon she let go to dance more actively alongside the Princess. For a couple of minutes, they danced endlessly, bumping into each other and laughing when Eretria almost fell off her heels. During the midst of the frantic dancing and the array of changing the disco lights to black-lights, they were separated by the bodies dancing around and in-between them. Amberle gave the Rover one last glance before someone called out for her.

  
"Princess! May I have the honor of dancing with the Royal?" A dude with a closely shaven beard and light brown eyes asked her while dancing. His dark hair was slick back behind his pointed ears with a smooth lock hovering the side of his eye. His smile was cute and Eretria couldn't deny that he was attractive. Amberle looked at him and then to Eretria. Eretria gave her a nod and a smile as she turned to dance with the rest of the crowd.

  
Amberle was the Princess of Arborlon and it was her duty to connect with the people. Although not in the sense that she responds to the very common douche bag catcalling. But rather to respond to someone like this guy, whom seemed genuine and requested a simple dance with the Princess. It's not very often that she comes across someone without ulterior motives. Eretria didn't know this guy, but something about him just seemed very sincere.

  
A couple of minutes had passed. Eretria looked through the crowd around her, but she couldn't pick out Amberle. The music turned very slow, a dance that was meant for two people. Exhaustion started to hit her bones as people around her started pairing up. She decided to fight her way through the slow-mo crowd towards a nearby table.

  
Right when she was almost out of the crowd, a strong hand gripped hers and she was pulled into someone. "Where are you going?" Amberle whispered with a smile and a lifted brow. Eretria couldn't help but return the smile. She placed her arms around the Princess' hips as she placed hers around the Rover's neck. Eretria rested her head on Amberle's neck as she began to lose her train of thought.

  
"Nowhere." Eretria smiled.

 

*****

"This is absolutely delicious!" Amberle spoke after she swallowed some of the complimentary cake.

  
"It's sooo good!" Eretria agreed. They sat at a booth, resting from the hours of dancing. The music continued to blare on as people continued to occupy the dance floor. She looked into the Princess' laughing eyes.

  
"What's up?" Eretria asked while chuckling along with Amberle's contagious giggle.

  
"I'm guessing that it's not uncommon for you to get dessert on your face?" Amberle laughed, remembering the time Eretria had ice cream smeared on her face.

  
Eretria's gave a sheepish smile and her cheeks grew pink with a tint of embarrassment. She reached for the napkin and was about to wipe her face but Amberle stopped her.

  
"No, let me." She scooted closer to Eretria as she spoke. Deja vu.

  
Eretria slowly handed her the napkin but Amberle didn't take it. Instead she was met with piercing green eyes. The Rover was a bit confused until Amberle leaned forward and placed her lips on the corner of Eretria's mouth. Eretria closed her eyes as the tingling sensations were overwhelming.

  
Amberle leaned back, but was mere inches from Eretria's face. The Princess then gave her a peck on the lips, a shocking moment that was too ephemeral. Eretria opened her eyes and smiled as she held Amberle's hand. Everything was going well. Eretria wished for all nights to be like this. Never ending perfect moments that will last in their memories. That is until sirens went off.

  
Amberle stood up as the dj stopped the music. Eretria stood with her as she recognized the sound. This wasn't just any siren. It wasn't a fire warning. It was an attack alarm that is sent throughout the whole kingdom to warn the people, not just the University.

  
Amberle looked at her and Eretria nodded. "Go ahead Princess, I'll be right behind you."

  
With that, Amberle quickly scrambled her way out of the ballroom. The crowd was already drilling themselves out as the party was cut short. They were taught to recognize the different warning sirens.  
When they reach the outside hall, Wil and Crista came around the corner out of breath.

  
"Princess Amberle!" Wil exclaimed.

  
"Grandfather is requesting your presence immediately." Crista said not as out as breath as Wil was.

  
They were in casual clothes since they chose to do something productive instead of attending the dance. Her emanating glow lit up the hall as it pulsed against her skin like a warning.

  
"Then let's not hesitate any longer..." Her eyebrows furrowed. "How did you get here so quickly?"

  
Before anyone could respond, she continued.  
"Never mind. There hasn't been an attack since I was an infant so this situation is dire." She spoke with authority. She power strided in her heels towards the exit. As they were hit with the breeze of cool night air, Crista turned to Wil and Eretria.

  
"Alright, I'll see you two soon." Crista said as Amberle walked on ahead, trying her best not to waste any more time.

  
Eretria tilted her head in confusion as Wil nodded in understanding.  
"Don't worry about us. We'll be there soon." Wil smiled and Crista turned back to Amberle who was already several feet ahead.

  
Crista then dashed as she let her magnificent wings appear behind her back, grabbing Amberle by her waist as she lifted up into the sky with great speed. Eretria gasped with awe and couldn't help but chuckle at Amberle's surprised scream.

  
"Come on!" Wil exclaimed as he grabbed Eretria's hand.

  
"What's going on?" Eretria asked as they hurried to find transportation. The University stables were full of horses for students to use during such events, but it seems that it was already a full queue with students lining up.

  
"Crista and I were at the medical intelligentsia, we were discussing nocturnal plants and all, but then Crista's glow started acting up and she sensed a disturbance of people gathering at the entrance of the kingdom."

  
The line at the stables wasn't getting any shorter, they realized.

  
"But they could've been anybody. What happened?" Eretria asked as she grabbed Wil and led him around the building towards the parking lot.

  
"There were too many people for comfort," He answered. "So she flew to the nearest scout post to check it out. Apparently the scouts were aware of the small group approaching but not of the people hiding behind the trees." Wil was a bit confused as to where she was leading him until they stoped at her motor bike. He gave her a relieved smile.

  
"Have you forgotten about my baby?" Eretria smirked.

  
"Of course not! I just figured that you wouldn't take her since you're in a dress."

  
Eretria rolled her eyes and placed her legs astride her bike. " Hop on Short tips."

  
He complied and continued speaking. "Anyways it was too late, the gatekeepers were ambushed so now we're an open book for outsiders to write all over."

  
As Eretria revved her engine and pulled out of the parking lot, she furrowed her eyebrows. "Is it that bad? I mean, I may be a little ignorant by asking that, but I'm pretty confident in the Guard."

  
Wil shook his head. "Our Militia is strong, but they've already started invading the town!" He shouted as they started gaining more ground.

  
Eretria felt anger rise up within her. Her hands clenched the handles as they sped their way towards the Palace. The town? Where all the villagers and citizens of Arborlon sleep? That's a low-blow, even for them. But who are they? The only other Kingdom in the realm was Valoid. If so, then they started a war with the wrong people.


	16. The Battle Of Alark

"Grandfather!" Amberle yelled with exasperation. Crista followed right behind her. The guards immediately cleared a path for royal women. 

The King turned away from speaking with one of the guards. His face wore anger and sorrow simultaneously. "Amberle, Crista." He walked over to them hurriedly. "As you've probably heard by now, we've been breached. A few of the homes in Alark are currently being destroyed as we are speaking right now." His face scrunched up. He had his sword to his back and more of his battle gear laid out on his table.

Amberle turned to one of the guards. "Summon my unit immediately." The guard nodded and hurried off. She turned back to face the King. "Don't worry Grandfather, you needn't put yourself in harm's way just yet." 

The King raised a brow. "Oh? I may be an important person in this Kingdom, but so are you Princess." He cupped her face and kissed her forehead. "Be careful out there. If l hear their army is only getting stronger, then I will not hesitate to step out to the frontline." He let go of Amberle's face and kissed Crista's forehead the same way. 

"Of course." Amberle agreed. She exited the throne room as quickly as she could. She needed to get changed into her battle gear and meet with her unit. They should already have themselves lined up by now. As she almost reached the armory, she ran into Wil and Eretria. They were taking excessive intakes of breaths and were bent over. 

"I need you two to stay indoors until we raise the safe alarm." Amberle spoke with authority. 

Eretria's eyes widened. "Wh...what?" She tried her best to catch her breath. All that running caused her ankle to ache a bit. Her ankle has completely healed, but her bones still ached with strain. 

"You must follow protocol and get somewhere safe!" Amberle projected and rushed into the armory.

Eretria followed after her. She watched curiously as Amberle sprinted towards an area that had the Royal seal etched onto it. She pulled open a wall that had her armor hung and wasted no time ripping her dress. Wil came in and his cheeks turned pink. Eretria quickly shoved him out, her heart beating out of her chest. She felt the slightest tang of jealousy, although the Princess wasn't exactly stripping. She was actually just ripping it for more flexibility. She pulled her battle gear over the fine threads, making it look like she wasn't even wearing a dress in the first place. 

The Princess sheathed her sword and started lacing her boots. "Eretria, I will be okay." She looked up from where she was kneeling. 

"You're heading straight into battle! You don't even know what kind of soldiers they have!" Eretria started feeling a bit more worried now that she started thinking of all the possible dangers. "And isn't Valoid's army the most brutal of the kingdom?"

Amberle stood up. "Calm down! It has been years since the last battle! Our armies have learned and advanced... don't you have faith in me?" Her green eyes searched, hoping the Rover would give her strength. 

Eretria paused for a moment. Regardless of anything, Amberle will be heading out any minute now. The best thing she could do is hope that things will go well for them and right now, Amberle really needs all the support she can get. Especially from her.

"I do,...but I won't stand by and do nothing. Not when you're out there risking your life." 

Amberle sighed at the stubborn Rover. "Alright." She glanced at Wil who now stood at the doorway. "Go around the palace and make sure that any lingering civilians get into their rooms." She turned around and pulled out a purple roll of silk from the wall full of items. She pulled the silk and ripped it, tying it onto Eretria's bicep. "This will let authorities know that I gave you an order, should you be questioned." 

She ripped out another string of silk and tied it around Wil's bicep. "You two keep an eye on each other, follow Crista's lead and do as she says." She turned to rush out of the Armory. 

"Crista!" Amberle called out to her from across the hallway. Crista turned around and one of the first things she spotted were the Royal ribbons on Wil and Eretria. "They will be assisting you!" Amberle continued as she gently pushed the small of Eretria's back towards the Skytraveller. 

Crista nodded as she understood. Eretria stopped short as she turned around to Amberle. Amberle pulled her into a hug and placed a quick kiss to her lips before she let go. She wasted no time and rushed towards her unit. 

"Be careful Princess!" Eretria yelled, but Amberle didn't turn back. Her strides were quick and determined. Eretria knew no doubt that right now, the Princess' priority was her people. 

"We are supposed to get people into their rooms." Crista walked over, her guards were rushing behind her. "Not all of them are following through protocol. They're too curious and stubborn to realize this isn't a drill." 

"Right, so where do we start?" Wil asked, looking around at all the people in the halls. 

"I took flight and scanned Alark. The town isn't looking so well right now. I saw people running from their homes trying to run away from the danger, so our first priority should be to evacuate the town. I've already spoken to some of my guards to get the rest of the people within the palace in order, so we don't have to worry about anyone here." Crista started pacing through the halls to one of the exits. "Eretria, do you know how to ride?" She glanced over her shoulder at the Rover. 

"A horse? I do, but I prefer my bike." She responded. 

"Never mind." Crista spoke as they walked over to an area outside. "I need you two to stick together, grab a horse wagon and gather as much people from the town as you can and bring them to the palace." They were now outside. The cold air was brushing their skins harshly. She led them to a row of four horse wagons being tended to by guards and servants. The wagons attached to the horses were wide and huge with a covered with a tarp. They could probably carry a whole family in there. 

"Okay, and what then?" Wil asked as he put a hand on one of the horses, preparing to saddle it. 

"Circle around back and do it again. There will be more horse wagons coming on the way, but right now we are immediate relief." Crista replied as her wings now graced the cold air. It's still pretty amazing how she can produce them whenever she wants. Three other guards saddled the other horses and the rest hopped into the wagons. "I'll be guiding you guys to areas as needed." Her golden eyes glowed with pain and sadness. "People are getting hurt...and there are already two deaths." 

For a second there, Eretria could've sworn that Crista was about to shed a tear. She herself felt her heart break at the mention of innocent lives being lost. She can't imagine who they were. 

They must hurry and help those who are still alive. "Let's get moving then, it's getting darker." She said with determination as she hopped into the wagon that Wil was driving.

"I'm coming too." A feminine voice spoke from behind them. Morgan.

She walked up to them dressed in dark purple gear, the Royal colors. She signaled a guard to get off a horse so she could drive. The guard complied and hopped into the wagon behind them. 

"Are you sure you want to do this? You will be possibly be fighting your own bloodline. You know that right?" Will asked while shifting his glances from Morgan to Crista to see what she has to say about this. 

Morgan didn't answer. Instead, he was met with a cold stare into nothingness. He looked back at Crista who looked just as confused and concerned as he was. 

"We shouldn't waste anymore time." She ascended off the ground with a small cloud of dust and debris lifting into the air. "Let's go." 

And with that, she started flying towards the town of Alark at a fast, but steady pace. Wil and Morgan immediately kicked off their horses into movement with the rest of the guards following through. 

***

"They're targeting the horses! Dismount before proceeding into the battle!" Amberle yelled as she held onto the reigns of her horse. 

Up ahead, she can see dead horses lying on the roads, even witnessing a guard on his horse being taken down. The intruders were definitely from the Kingdom of Valoid. She can see them clearly now. Their thick red armor stuck out in contrast against everything. The houses on the sides were severely damaged. Some were burnt or burning. Some screams were heard and people were running everywhere. The Red soldiers were smashing anything they can get their hands on if they weren't fighting Arborlon's guards.   
Amberle could feel her heart quicken and even a little shaky at the thought of this being her first actual legitimate fight. She had hoped it didn't have to come down to this. What is King Levron thinking? This is the first step into war. She knew the history of the bad blood between the kingdoms and the past retaliations. Heck, Morgan alone would be a reasonable explanation for an attack, but why now? Who would wait around two decades? 

She was pulled out of her thoughts as she was getting closer to the Reds. No time to dwell on questions. The time to focus was right now and the fact that this could turn out for the worst. 

One of the Reds caught a nearby civilian , a young boy, and pulled him roughly to another Red. He punched him unconscious and placed him into a pile of bodies. Amberle's eyes widened and her teeth clenched, the rest of those bodies had better be unconscious and not dead, or King Levron is going to be sorry he ever lived.   
The Reds turned around when they heard more horses coming near. They stood their ground with their swords out and their faces contorted with determination and arrogance. 

Just like their King. 

As she got closer to the battle, she lifted herself placing both feet onto her saddle and grabbed something round-shaped from her gear, all while being careful not to fall off. She steadied herself and held her breath as she took aim at one of the Reds. The Red was a little confused seeing her on top of her horse like that, but he still stepped forward, brave enough to take the Princess head on. He would definitely be rewarded, maybe even promoted if he takes down the scrawny girl in a one time shot. Thinking of this brought a smile to his face with a feeling of encouragement, the smile that pissed Amberle off even more. 

He held his sword out in front him and took several steps in meander, already targeting the horse as Amberle suspected. At the right moment before her horse was in his sword's reach, she threw the round object she held in her hand to the Red's armor and powder immediately surrounded his proximity. Her guards followed suit and did the same to the other Reds. 

Knowing he was only temporarily disabled, she took the opportunity to jump off her horse and unsheathed her sword, targeting the Red's neck where there was clearly no armor. But the soldier was quick and parried, causing them both to recoil upon impact. He coughed a couple of times, spitting out white powder. He shook his head as he tried to clear his vision. He swung his sword as fast as he could, but Amberle ducked, spinning lowly while pulling out a dagger from her armor with her free hand and lodging it into the back of his knee. 

The Red yelped as he fell onto his bad knee and Amberle pulled out her dagger and lodged it into his neck where blood started gushing. Just as fast as she stabbed him, she pulled her dagger out and twirled it once before sheathing it back into her armor.   
She surveyed the battle field, some of the guards were already laying with the dead on the ground. She hurried to the nearest guard struggling with a Red on top of him and sliced his neck from behind. 

The first two lives already taken away so easily by her hand, yet she wouldn't stop until the innocent are safe. 

"Aaaarrrgh!!" 

She turned around quickly as a Red charged at her with a spear. First rule broken, his battle cry was a dead giveaway. He possibly could've had a better chance of getting to her if he didn't yell, telling her he was coming.   
But even then, his spear was dangerously close as she side-stepped. He had quick hands and retracted his spear to swing the other end towards Amberle. She ducked once again, but the guard that she saved just a moment before was clocked in the face. 

She rolled to gain a little distance and stood up quickly with her knees bent and her sword out. The Red twirled his spear around with the speed of a fire dancer and advanced once again. This time his swung low, spinning his body with power. Amberle jumped, dodging his attempt, but almost didn't see his foot swinging upward. On instinct, she shielded herself with her left arm, saving her head, but the guy still had strong legs and she was knocked off her feet into the dirt. She stood up fast and shook it off, not willing to give him an advantage.

He dashed forward, ready to close the distance, but he was clocked in the face by the same guard that was clocked in the face earlier. He was knocked to the ground and the guard wasted no time in placing his sword through the soldier's neck. 

The guard looked at the Princess and nodded his head for encouragement. These guards were her unit and she has their backs as they have hers. But they were people. People with lives and feelings.   
She looked at the dead Red Soldiers on the ground for a moment. They were people too. She didn't know who they were and what they do in their lives. Some of them most likely know that they're fighting on the wrong side. But they were people regardless. They must've had something or someone they cared about, or someone who cares about them. And every life taken, is a life they'll never get back. 

Then she thought about how true that statement was towards the innocents. The innocents who have nothing to do with war. She gritted her teeth and searched for a new target with renewed determination. If only blood didn't have to spill so worthlessly. 

***

"Wil! Over there!" Eretria yelled, pointing over to several people rushing between alleyways. Wil quickly halted and dismounted the horse as Eretria jumped out of the wagon.   
"Hey!" Wil yelled and some of the people turned around when they heard him. 

"We're here to transport you to the Palace!" He waved them over hurriedly. "The quicker you get in, the better!" 

The people who heard him turned to call those that didn't. Their faces were full of alert, fear, and now somewhat relief. Eretria guided them into the wagon, overseeing how much space they have left after each person got in. 

A man stopped in front of Eretria. He wore a blue shirt stained with sweat. His pajama pants were stained at the bottom and he was barefoot. His dark hair was messy at the top and his face had smudges all over. 

"The houses at the front were being burned!" He spoke with his eyes wide. Eretria noticed that his voice was lighter than expected. He's probably a teenager. "We tried to form a group and stick together, but a lot of us got separated." He looked down to the ground, "I don't know where my brother is." He started shedding soundless tears. 

"The faster we can get you guys to the Palace, the faster we can look for him, okay? I promise we will find him." She patted his shoulder as he lurched into the wagon, now sobbing. 

Truth was, Eretria had no right to make such questionable promises. And she knows it too. 

There were still a lot of people left and the wagon was just about full, but it's a good thing that Morgan followed behind them while Crista led the other wagons to different areas. She dismounted her horse and gave the reigns to the guard that was with her. 

"Thanks for the ride." She gave a half smile and the guard just nodded. 

She strutted over to Eretria who looked at her a bit confused. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to help defend Alark. Have any words of encouragement for me before I go?" Her pink lips turned upward into a smirk. 

Eretria scanned her gear. It was definitely battle gear alright. It was purple and leather which identifies the colors of Arborlon, but it was nowhere near like Amberle's battle gear. While Amberle's was a bit bulky and made for defense, Morgan's was made more for agility and flexibility. And obviously a bit too skin tight. Her hair was let down in long blonde waves. She looked like she was auditioning for a movie rather than actual battle, but Eretria knows better not to underestimate Morgan. Especially because she's probably one of the most powerful people she knows. The way she looks has nothing to do with her current skills. 

Eretria looked into Morgan's eyes, trying to see if she was really sincere about helping. Morgan didn't look concerned, but having her on their side was better than having her on the other. 

"Just... be careful okay?" Eretria didn't know if she was trying to convince herself that she was telling Morgan herself to be careful, or telling her to be careful as in, try not to put innocent lives into danger with her powers kind of careful. 

Morgan smiled and winked at her and she strided towards where fighting and yelling can be heard.

"Alright Wil, it's full back here! You take them back. I'll be gathering the next group of people." She said as she started guiding more people into the other wagon that Morgan brought.

Wil looked unsure as he mounted his straddle. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"I'll be fine! Just go!" She gave him a thumbs up and he nodded. He rode away as quickly as he can.

The second wagon was fast to fill and soon, the guard followed down the same path towards the palace. Eretria was standing with more shaken up people waiting for the next ride. They were rowdy, but patient enough. She started seeing more people coming from the fights trying to get away.

 

***

 

Morgan can smell the wafts of smoke in the air. Smoke that was not caused by her. So he's actually fighting, she thought. She can't wait to show her powers on display. 

As she neared where a fight was brewing, a Red soldier was about to slice open the head of a guard.  
With swift movement of her right index finger, she drew a thin line of fire across the Red's wrists right before he could lower his sword. He immediately dropped his blade backwards and fell to the ground screaming in pain. His wrists were now red and blistered. The guard that was being attacked took a few breaths before he passed out, so that leaves Morgan to handle this soldier.

She walked up to him with a slow gait, time to finish what she started and end his misery. She grabbed his face full on with her palm smothering his nose and mouth. Soon, steam started burning his skin into bubbles as he screamed in agony. It started getting harder for him to scream as his lungs started being filled with endless smoke, so much smoke this it was coming out of his eye sockets. As soon as she felt his body go lifeless, she moved on ahead. 

Amberle must be on the other side of the town because she is nowhere to be seen. It's getting darker, but the fires that lit some of the houses were making up for light. Explosions can be heard and more screaming erupts. 

Morgan moves on killing several more Reds before stopping in her tracks. She could've sworn that she saw something in the dark alley nearby. She skulked slowly towards the alley, igniting a fireball in her hand to light up the area. But just as she was about to turn the corner, a hooded figure stepped out of the shadows.  
Tight leather, with belts full of weapons. An assassin. Immediately, Morgan threw the fireball towards the figure, but they dodged it. 

Morgan dashed forward, producing shield blasts and throwing it at the person. To her frustration, the person kept dodging them like some kind of parkour cognoscenti, doing fancy flips and using the obstacles to their advantage. This assassin was giving Morgan one of the most hardest times of her life, making her chase them around.   
By the grunts and excessive breath intakes, Morgan can finally tell that it was a girl. Whoever this girl was, she must've had some serious training Morgan thought.   
The girl suddenly rushed towards Morgan, and Morgan instantly switched into hand-to-hand combat mode. She started throwing punches to the strange girl, but she evaded every single one. 

Morgan took note that this girl must be very intelligent because she was dodging and evading instead of blocking. She must know that with a single touch, Morgan can poison and burn. 

"W-Wait!" The stranger finally spoke. She was in fact, a girl with her soft and pitch perfect voice. 

Morgan continued trying to fight her until the stranger finally pulled her hood down. She was met with a striking feeling of familiarity and she couldn't help but freeze in place with a fireball lit in her palms.   
She looked into the eyes of the stranger's striking blue eyes. She had blonde hair that wasn't as long as Morgan's, but it reached the back of her shoulder blades and was straight.  
The girl held up her half-gloved hands as a sign of no harm. 

"I- I just want to talk. You're...Morgan?" She asked. She looked at her with a softness in her eyes that Morgan has never received before.

The girl's eyes were somewhat pleading and desperate. She looked like she really needed an answer. "The only Pyrokinetic in existence, who do you think?" Morgan gave in and responded with a half smile. 

Wait! That's what assassins do,they lure you in to kill you unexpectedly. She stepped forward with the fireballs still in her hands, ready to be thrown at the girl who now stood in place. 

"I'm your sister!" She yelled in desperation. 

Morgan froze once again. Freezing a Pyrokinetic metaphorically works apparently.

"What?" Morgan asked with obvious disbelief. 

The girl put her hands up again, but stepped back a couple of steps. "I was born several years after you were gone. You're my older sister." 

Morgan's fire died a little in her hands and the girl took this as a good sign.

"I know...," She stepped forward instead of backwards this time, but very carefully, "I know that you don't believe me, but I can prove it to you right now." 

Morgan was swirling with emotions. This girl that looks similar to her and is almost the same height, is supposedly her younger sister? Where the hell did she come from? 

"Okay, prove it." Morgan lifted her chin to show that she was not affected. 

The girl held Morgan's gaze before turning around and lifting her hair and pulling the leather of her hood away. Morgan's fire immediately died when she saw the bare neck of the girl, for her neck wasn't so bare. After all, she was bearing the Fallcress tattoo. 

"My name ... is Ashra."


	17. The Battle of Alark 2

The smell of smoke filled her lungs as she flew over the burning houses. Her white hair was now smothered with black soot as if she tried to dye her hair with charcoal. She and Eretria had gotten closer to the edge of the village where the invasion started. Most of the houses in this area were, unfortunately, nearly burnt to the ground. 

A house caught Crista's attention and a tear threatened to drop just as her heart did. No. She lowered herself to the ground and felt her knees buckle under her. She stared at the house that was being swallowed by hungry flames. Thoughts ran through Crista's head at a thousand miles per hour. She felt two hearts stop beating at the beginning of the invasion, and since this house is one of several that are close to the outskirts,... No! Crista shook her head and stood up straight. She didn't want to think of the possibility.

"Hel...!" Someone yelled from inside the burning house. Huh? Was that a man's voice? Whoever it was, it gave her a spark of hope. 

Crista wasted no more time and flew around the house once. All points of entry were engulfed in flames. 

"Eretria! In here!" 

Eretria who was nearby scouting for more civilians, ran towards Crista.  
She noticed the burning house that Crista was focusing on.  
"Were you able to find a way in? How many?" 

"There isn't a way in without getting burned." 

"Help!" The man yelled again. 

Eretria was dead set on finding a way in, but before she could react, Crista kicked in a part of the wall. Flames were licking the gaping hole left in the wall. What the hell? Does this girl have super strength now too?

"It seems these buildings weren't exactly made to fight against fire entirely." Crista said, answering Eretria's unspoken question. 

"I'm starting to think you can read minds too." Eretria took her jacket off and tied it tightly around her neck and around her mouth and nose. "Can you create wind to pull the flames apart?" 

Crista stretched her silver wings out. "Of course." She lifted herself a few feet off the ground, creating gentle and powerful wafts. "Are you sure about this?"

Eretria nodded her head and braced herself as Crista's gentle wafts turned into powerful gusts. The flames in the gap tore apart like a riot trying to be separated and Eretria saw an opening. She sprinted foreword and jumped into the hole, grazing her arm in the process. 

She made it. She thought as she held on to her scraped arm. 

"Are you alright?" Crista yelled in.

"I'm fine!" Eretria responded as she surveyed the room that she was in. Every corner was burning, but no signs of life were left in here. She was in what used to be a room. The only way out was a closed door. Great. She looked around for anything that could help, but everything was mere ashes. 

She kicked the door hoping that it would break easily. when it didn't budge, she kicked it several more times. Nothing. How could a door not break down when a wall can? Seriously? 

In frustration, she took a deep breath and untied her jacket from her neck. She quickly grabbed the door knob and opened the door successfully without burning her hand. She lifted her jacket back up to her mouth, slightly flinching when the hot leather touched her skin. Should've done that in the first place, she thought. 

She walked through a living room area where flames were climbing up the walls and several objects were burning in the center. From the outlines, she could tell they were mostly furniture.

"Hello?" She called out. The voice hadn't spoken once since she entered the house. The loud cackling of the flames were not helping either. 

A loud creaking noise caught her attention from her right side. Just as she saw a large object tipping over, she rolled forward on reflex. The object which seemed to be a large shelf, crashed onto the floor, cracking and breaking the items it carried.

Eretria gritted her teeth at the searing sensation on her back from the hot floor. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but it saved her from what could've been much worse. She Started feeling light headed from excessive intakes of the smoke, but she shook the feeling. The dark smoke was clouding the ceiling, so she crouched low. She continued to move forward steadily until she kicked something that was laying flat on the ground. She was going to ignore it, but out of caution, she looked down to step over the object. It was just a picture frame with a photo that already had its corners singed. 

She immediately thought about a family. She thought about the family that this house belonged to and about how that family no longer will have a home to come to. In any situation, these events are horrifying, but the two familiar faces on the picture made her heart beat out of her chest. She had known one of them for a while, and the other was her younger sister. A sister that had little to no mobility. 

This can't be, could it?

"Is anyone out there?" Eretria could now tell that the voice was male. 

"I'm here! Where are you?" She replied. 

"In here! The debris is blocking my way out!" The man's voice became more clear as she neared to a broken door in a hallway. It seemed to be blockaded with something metal. Is that a wheel? 

"I will get you out! Hang in there!" She looked around the hallway, but it was covered with nothing but flames. She went back to the living room area to search for something, or anything to help. 

Almost everything was burned or burning. "Sh*t!" She yelled in frustration. It seemed like it took too many long seconds until she spotted something that could be useful. Finally something that isn't covered in flames. It was tall, metal, and thin. It had three wheels on the bottom, bingo. An I.V. pole, Eretria realized. She removed her jacket from her mouth once again and wrapped it around the thin pole. She could feel the heat under her palms. She had to do this quick before she could no longer bear it. She hurried back to the broken door.

She used the bottom of the I.V. pole to hook the much bigger wheel that was lodged into the debris blocking the door. It took her a few tries, but it finally got stuck enough to pull. She pulled harder and the big wheel finally budged. A wheelchair. The debris came tumbling down and the wheelchair rolled into the hallway. She dropped the pole and kicked it under what was left of the door to substitute a doorstopper. 

*Cough cough* "Holy f**ck! Thank goodness you came! I've been in here too long." 

Eretria was expecting him to rush out with eagerness, but instead she was met with a man struggling to stand on his legs. His eyes were red and his tan face was pale. He looked like he was about to pass out any second. He carried a body that was covered completely with a black cloth. Eretria didn't miss the soot covered hands dangling about. 

She led the way out that she came from with the help of Crista. Crista immediately descended to the ground as the man lay the body down gently. She sat on her knees and held the deceased body's hand. She sobbed quietly and held the hand to her heart. 

"I heard her screams. I... I had come in through another door. It led to a backdoor, but it was impossible to go out that way. Even more than that damn wheelchair." His eyes drowned in anger and sorrow, and tears leaked down his soot covered face, causing white streaks. "A f*cking wheelchair costed a life. She tried to get out, but her wheelchair got stuck, and the debris were going to smother her. So I pulled her out. I kept looking for several minutes. I was desperate for another way out, but she was desperate to not die alone." He lay down on the ground next to the covered body, still recovering his breathing. "She begged me to stay with her, she was scared." He turned his head to the body and grabbed her other hand. He couldn't stop the tears that were falling uncontrollably. "She told me to tell her sister that she loved her. She didn't stay too long after that."

***

 

"There's no possible way that you can re-create that tattoo, unless you were born with it." Morgan pondered with confusion.

"Who said it was fake?" Ashra asked impatiently, but calmly. She looked at the destruction reaping around. "Look, I came to warn you about our father. He is disgraceful and evil." 

Morgan scoffed. "You're talking to his daughter who he didn't care enough to retrieve after she was kidnapped." 

"You're only further proving my point," Ashra folded her arms and her eyes narrowed, "It seems that we're not on the wrong page, so what is it that you're trying to prove?" She observed the twisting features of Morgan's face who seemed conflicted. "To be completely honest, Morgan... You're better off w-"

"I don't have to prove anything!" Morgan interrupted. 

A loud march was heard from the street ahead of them. Red soldiers emerged from the smoke. There were five of them, but Morgan and Ashra didn't bother to move or hide. 

Their leader spotted the two girls and his eyes widened. "Lady...Ashra?" He asked with confusion laced in his voice. 

"Shit." Ashra turned away quickly and pulled her hood over her head to hide her face. 

Before the Red could speak again, a red fireball was thrown at him and he had no choice but to fall to the ground. The other Reds started charging towards the two girls. 

One Red with dual swords prowled near Ashra. As he braced his footing and ran towards her, she swiftly jumped onto a wall to her left and with one foot, she bolstered behind him. She made her hand into a two-fingered gun and struck the back of his neck really fast, knocking him out before she even landed. She turned around to see Morgan draw a line of fire towards the rest of the Reds who were now running away. 

Morgan looked towards Ashra. Her eyes were swirling with emotions. Mostly anger and frustration. "I visited father recently." She spoke, walking towards Ashra.

"I know," Ashra recovered her breathing and looked to the burning buildings ahead, "If I may say, you are actually the cause of this invasion." At that moment, a line of fire was drawn towards her middle torso, but with her lightning reflexes, she flipped backwards, using her hands to cover some ground before landing on her feet again. She got up slowly, clenching her fists. 

"Then where were you when I visited Valoid? There was no mention of your existence at all." Morgan folded her arms, ignoring the guilt of her being the reason for the invasion. 

Ashra sighed and unclenched her fists. "Okay listen," She looked into Morgan's pale blue eyes. They were eyes that were identical to her own. "I haven't been completely honest with you..." 

Morgan rolled her eyes and turned around to walk further into the battle. "I don't have time for your games."

"Okay wait!" Ashra rushed in front of Morgan, "I'll tell you the whole truth, I just didn't think that now was the right time-" 

"There may never be a good time. Just spit it out already. What is it that you haven't been honest with?" 

Ashra pinched her nose. "I'm your younger sister, but I wasn't born several years after you... I was born several minutes." 

Morgan's eyes widened and her heart started beating faster. Having a sister in the first place was a complete shock, yet alone an identical twin sister. It would make sense since she's staring at a mere reflection of herself, besides Ashra's hair. 

"And the reason why you didn't see me...was because I wasn't there," Ashra clenched her fist once more, "Our father casted me aside because I wasn't you." 

Morgan's expression dulled. "What do you mean?" 

"Father is cruel, Morgan. When we were born, it was obvious that one of us had Pyrokinesis, while the other, who was me, didn't. Father gave all the glory to you." An emotional storm started brewing in Ashra's eyes, but she held back the tears that were about to pour. "When the war was still fresh, after OUR father," she backhanded a nearby metal vehicle which now sported a hand-sized dent, "destroyed all of the Kingdom of Trio, killing King Eventine's daughter in the process, Prince Arion became vindictive and sought revenge. Tell me sister, do you have ANY idea how insane our father is?" Ashra held her hands up in frustration. 

Morgan studied her outburst and thought about it. A man who engaged in a genocide is definitely insane, but just how insane was King Levron?

Ashra continued,"Our father knew just how revenge-seeking Prince Arion was. He thought that since he had you, the Pyrokinetic, he had the upper hand. All he had to do was buy some time until you became older and mastered your abilities." She looked down to the floor and then back up at Morgan. 

Morgan looked into her sister's eyes. In a way, she was losing patience. This invasion isn't going to last forever, but the sincerity of Ashra's tone made her stay. That and the unraveling of her family. 

"He used me as the bait." Ashra spoke, snapping Morgan out of her impatience.  
"He thought he put me in a village camp that he knew was going to be raided by Prince Arion. It was a set up, they made it obvious that I was his daughter, portrayed like I was living with our mother, helpless without him there." 

"Thought?" Morgan questioned, catching it quickly. 

Ashra nodded solemnly, "It was you they took. Our father had the common mistake of mismatching our identities. A pure example of how reckless he is." 

Morgan's eyes flickered red and gold and then back to pale blue. Ashra flinched at the sudden change. 

"After a couple of weeks, our doctor realized that I hadn't shown any signs of Pyrokinesis, weeks turned into years when they realized that I was Ashra. Our father had grown a bit depressed if you ask me. Like he had the strongest weapon in the world taken from his hands and was replaced with a dummy." Ashra stepped a bit closer to Morgan. "He threw me out of the kingdom, telling me I was a disgrace just because it was his mistake that he threw away the wrong child!... Morgan, I'm the dummy and you're the weapon. That's the only reason he wants you by his side." 

Morgan gritted her teeth and fire burst out from her palms at her sides. It crawled up her arms slowly, making it look like she was set on fire. This all makes sense, but why hasn't he invaded sooner? Why hadn't he tried to take her back?

An explosion was heard far off in the distance, breaking Morgan's rising questions. The ground shook and there were screams of several men. Looks like it'll have to wait for another time. The girls rushed towards the area the sound came from.

 

***

 

"They have a ballista!" One of Amberle's unit yelled. He ran towards the princess who knocked a Red down. 

Her face was covered in soot, dirt, sweat, and blood. Through the loose strands of hair on her face she asked, "how many?" 

"Just one, but it's breaching us fast!" The guard pulled out a short sword and parried a Red that charged at Amberle from behind. The Guard swung, but the Red dodged and slashed his arm, spinning in the process and letting his blade swing outward, intending to behead the Guard. Amberle quickly sliced the back of the Red's knees and butted the back of his head to knock him out. 

The Guard stood up and clutched his arm, "Thank you Princess." He bowed his head. 

"Go home to your family, you've done more than enough." 

The Guard was surprised and shaken up, but he gladly complied with the order. He can't fight with a useless arm. 

Amberle surveyed the area, bodies were everywhere. She took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to do. Her body was aching and tired. She was pretty sure she was bound to find more than just bruises covering her skin later. They're doing their best to hold them back, but just how many Reds are there? She may need to call for back up. 

"Princess watch out!" 

Next thing she knew, she was tackled into the mud several feet away. Muffled yelling and screams were some of the things that she can hear. Her ears rung and the beat of her heart in her ears was loud. Her vision was blurry and she felt like she wouldn't be able to stand. It felt like her body got hit with a boulder. She wiped the mud away from her face as best as she could, but it wasn't the mud that was clouding her vision. A concussion? 

All she could do was crawl. To where? She didn't know. She reached out her hand and dug her fingers into the mud. *thump thump* The sound of her heart and her desperate intakes of breath was all she could hear now. *thump thump* She pulled on the muscles of her legs. They weren't co-operating. Parts of her body felt numb, but she forced them to move. Eventually, her legs finally gave in to her will. *thump thump* She reached out her other hand and dug into the mud again. Only this time, she was digging into armor. A body. *thump thump* His eyes were wide open and staring into nothing. She felt a cold substance seeping under her. Her vision was still bleary, but she looked closely at the face. *thump thump* She remembers those brown eyes, he was the guard that she had told to go home several moments ago. "NOO!!" She screamed, but she could hardly hear herself. She then realized that the cold substance under her was that guard's blood. His body had ben ripped in half and she had only been looking at his upper torso. 

*thump thump* "N... noo!!" She gasped for air as the ringing in her ears came back, along with the muffled shouts. 

"Get her o- here! Now! She's hur-" She heard a familiar voice, but she couldn't make out what her was saying. She looked up at him. Prince Arion on his stallion. Prince Ander soon came into view and held his hand out for her. 

"Don't worry Amberle, reinforcements are here." Prince Ander picked her up and put her arm over his shoulder. Her breathing became ragged and the ringing in her ears would not fade. Her vision was now going in and out of focus.

He started leading her away from the battle, but before she could completely turn away, she caught a glimpse of two figures fighting the Reds. One was fighting with fire, literally. It was obviously Morgan, but who was that skillful, hooded figure fighting by her side? 

They trudged for a few minutes until a horse wagon came to a stop in front of them. Wil, who was on the horse, dismounted hurriedly.  
"Amberle! Is she okay?" He asked Prince Ander with heavy breaths and looked back at the wagon tent as if he was expecting something. 

"I have faith that she is. Take her back to medical immediately." Prince Ander handed Amberle over to Wil. 

"Copy that Sir, but I have a bit of a sitch-" 

"Riley!" Kate finally hopped down from the back of the wagon tent. She tried to rush past them into to get to the front of the village where there house is, but Prince Ander caught her. "Let me the F*ck go! My sister is in there!" 

"Whoa whoa whoa, it's too dangerous! Guard!" He signaled a nearby Guard. "How do you know she isn't safe with the other civilians?" He held on to her as she fought franticly, trying to get out of his grasp. The Guard came by and held on to her in place of the Prince. 

"Uncle Ander..." Amberle limped closer to them with Wil's help. She held her head as if she had a bad headache. "Riley had her legs removed, which means she can't get around fast enough." She looked at the Guard. "Release her please." 

The Guard looked at Prince Ander and only released her when he nodded.

"Kate, we will help you find your sister and we will-" 

"I'm so sorry Kate..." They all looked up at where the voice came from. Crista was in the air not too far off the ground from where they were. Her wings flapped gently as her fists clenched. Her face was flushed and her eyes were a dim gold. This was one of the few times anyone has ever seen her like this. "There's no need, we've found her. She's gone." 

Kate dropped to her knees and then sank into the mud. Everything that she had worked for was for Riley. She had just lost her very own heart and soul. Riley was everything to her. Everything. And all in the span of a few hours, everything was lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I had technical difficulties and frustratingly, re-written this chapter 4 times. R.I.P Riley Lierstrom. 


End file.
